Numbers of his Life
by VeNgEaNcE.oF.rAiN
Summary: Time is what chooses the royalties of Spades and the same Time chose Arthur in the 21st century universe as Queen. Will this Prof survive in that universe? Cardverse!AU, USUK and other possible pairings.
1. Beginning of Zero

_**Numbers of his Life**_

**Story by:** _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Summary:** Time is what chooses the royalties of Spade and the same Time chose Arthur in the 21st century universe as Queen. Will this Prof survive in that universe? Cardverse!AU USUK and other possible pairings.

**Author's Note: **Here are some information about my little fiction. Actually, I intended to just mention them as I go but well, I thought it may be confusing for some parts if I just pop the information up. I've experienced the "Wtf is this?" while reading some other stories. I apologise first if my story or language use isn't that good as some others – there are so many amazing and godly authors out there! But I do hope it's enjoyable for everyone! Reviews are most welcomed! Btw, I don't really know Latin. So if there are any errors let me know (Just wanted to name the cities of another language heh).

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><p><strong>Kingdom of Spades<strong>

**Royalty: **

King – Alfred F. Jones; Well-verse in melee and ranged combatant skills, extraordinary strength, hero-complex.

Queen – Arthur Kirkland; Yet to discover skills, came from another world.

Jack – Wang Yao; Expert in martial arts as well as many weaponries, full of wartime strategies.

**Location: **An isolated island off the coast of Land of Air, Kingdom of Diamonds. The island is of a peculiar shape which looks like a Spade resting on a leaf. At times it is described as a ship with its sails hoisted, ready to set sail. It is situated on the Land of Water.

**National Flowers: **TudorRose, Plum blossoms.

**Language:** Spadian

**Capital City:** Veritas (Truth)

**Legend of Capital's name:** There was a myth that many sailors disappeared while sailing near this gloomy island shrouded by mist. It was said to house dangerous creatures like sirens which fed on human flesh. When the first successful adventurers from the mainland built the city, they sought to seek the truth about this isolated island, hence, its name. The mystery was then revealed to be alternating and fast-flowing currents created by the odd land-shape in the oceans below wrecking havoc by violently shifting or breaking the rudders. Claims of sightings of these mythical beings are still common in coastal cities and villages.

**General Description: **Spades is described as the most powerful of all Kingdoms – mainly because of its naval strength as well as the 'Ace of Spades' legend. However, despite its niche, it has not been in any wars since the Great War of a few decades back. It is also the youngest of all Kingdoms after the island was colonized by adventurers from all over the mainland. Being an island, Spades is disadvantaged because of its limited resources. Hence, it has made human resource its primary source of progress. Many citizens depend on the sea as their livelihood. Increased trade by sea has brought prosperity to the Kingdom. The currents around the island is said to be difficult to navigate. This problem is conquered by skilled native sailors and locally built ships.

These factors also contributed to Spades' remarkably strong Navy. In order to attack and seize control of the royal palace of Spades, one has to go through its Navy and the treacherous waters surrounding the island. Hence, Spades has yet to lose a war. Because it is located near Kingdom of Diamonds, the ties between both Kingdoms are deeper than others. It is said that the first inhabitants of the island hailed from Diamonds and subsequently other Kingdoms. The Natives of the island interacted with these adventurers and they coexisted to form the Spades of today. The reason for being involved in the Great War was because Diamonds was in danger of being taken over by Clubs. The new royalty of Spades is established in midst of chaos with eminent threats of War from Kingdom of Hearts.

**Kingdom of ****Diamonds **

**Royalty:**

King – Francis Bonnefoy; Mastered the art of persuasion (regardless of gender), a flirt.

Queen – Lily Zwingli; Good at melee and ranged weaponries, sweet looks can fool.

Jack – Vash Zwingli; Outstanding ranged weapon mastery, armaments specialist.

**Location:** A rough diamond-shaped marks the territory of Diamonds on the West coast of the mainland. It is said that the shape gave the Kingdom its name. It is also known to rest on the Land of Air. Off its northwestern coast lies the Kingdom of Spades. It shares borders with the Kingdom of Clubs as well as the land of Voids.

**National Flowers:** Iris, Alphine Red Rose, Edelweiss.

**Language:** Diamiate

**Capital City:** Pax (Peace)

**Legend of Capital City:** It was rumoured that when the first colonists that arrived in the western parts of mainland discovered many mines that contained hardy materials like gemstones and ores. The most of the gemstone harvested is diamonds. Since the discovery, neighbouring territories have waged wars on it to gain control of its vast valuable resource. The subsequent royalties of the Kingdom got sick and tired of wars, thus, in hopes of ending wars for future generations, the capital city is named Pax.

**General Description:** Diamonds is described as the wealthiest of all Kingdoms – mainly because of its neutrality towards every other Kingdom. The close alliance with Spades has brought protection in case of hostile neighbours on the mainland. Riches come from a free trade agreement formed with its neighbours. It rivals the Kingdom of Hearts for the title of the 'Kingdom of Love' as late Kings are particularly affectionate to their partners-in-life, adding to the romantic ambience of its capital city. Despite having most of the population as traders, Diamonds has exceptionally high-tech weaponry and a rather stable citizen-army to protect its neutrality in stand.

Being wealthy often made the kingdom targets of war, however, the threats ceased when Spades stepped in and defeated Clubs during the Great War. A peaceful agreement was signed. It was meant to last for 50 years before a renewal or replacement is to be signed again.

**Kingdom of Clubs**

**Royalty:**

King – Ivan Braginski; Rumoured to be able to summon winter to battlefield, intimidating character.

Queen – Elizaveta Hedervary; Master of swords and pan, a fan of yaoi.

Jack – Roderich Edelstein; Master of music, a bard of many songs and instruments.

**Location:** It spans over the Northern lands of the mainland. It shares borders with Kingdom of Diamonds, Kingdom of Hearts as well as the land of Voids. The general shape of the territory is a slight crescent covering the other lands like a cap. It is situated in the Land of Earth.

**National Flowers:** Chamomile, Tulip, Edelweiss

**Language:** Clubsque

**Capital City:** Dignitas (Dignity)

**Legend of Capital City:** A relatively young Kingdom compared to the others on the mainland. It is said that the Kingdom was made of criminals, traitors and exiles of the two other Kingdoms. The land was said to be uninhabitable, however, due to the hard work of these people, the land flourished with agriculture as its main source of income. Descendants of these people resented the other two Kingdoms in calling them a Kingdom of Shame. To stop such a treatment, an Ancient War was fought between the three mainland Kingdoms and won by Clubs. The Capital City then changed its name to Dignitas signifying the dignity that all its citizens have in being proud of themselves regardless of their roots.

**General Description:** Clubs is considered the most diligent of all Kingdoms as well as having the wisest people. It also has the most acre of land amongst all Kingdoms. The reason for being the most diligent is mainly due to the extreme weathers that constantly hit the Kingdom making its main source of income – agriculture – shaky. Yet, the citizens refused to give in to nature and sustained the Kingdom's growth bit by bit. Being a disaster-stricken Kingdom, they remain relatively poor as most of the Kingdom's revenue ended up as reconstruction funds. It is also the reason why Clubs went to war with Diamonds.

Clubs' relationship with Spades only plundered after the Great War as resentment towards each other rose. The turn-around came when Diamonds offered a mediated talk between the two Kingdoms. As a coordinated effort, both Diamonds and Spades supported monetary-wise to the reconstruction in its cities. The current Queen and Jack of Clubs intend to strengthen the armed forces by requesting help from Hearts. Clubs is currently in talks with Hearts to prevent another outbreak of war to their Kingdom. Clubs is named after the vast number of 3-leaved clovers that used to cover the land upon discovery by ancestors.

**Kingdom of Hearts **

**Royalty:**

King – Ludwig; King of torture, soft in the inside when it is of people he knew for a long time.

Queen – Honda Kiku; Tech-savvy artist, topnotch samurai-katana skills.

Jack – Feliciano Vargas; Flag bearer, has some form of formidable magic but goes to King and Queen for help regularly.

**Location:** It is located at the Southeastern lands of the mainland. It shares borders with the Kingdom of Clubs as well as the land of Voids. The general shape of the territory is that of heart. However, the shape is no longer valid when disputed lands north of Hearts and southeast of Clubs were returned to Hearts after many decades of negotiation and wars. It lies in the Land of Fire.

**National Flowers:** Knapweed, Chrysanthemum, Cherry blossoms (Sakura), Stylized Lily

**Language:** Heartish

**Capital City:** Gloria (Glory)

**Legend of Capital City: **It is perhaps the oldest of all four Kingdoms. It is considered as the origin of the Catholic religion and the holy ground where the people first walked the lands. In respect to this, the Capital City is named Gloria symbolizing its glory in being the god-blessed territory. Another reason of this name is because of the position of the rising Sun over the city. Being in the eastern coastal region of the land and with its palace facing the sea, the royalties are described as being watched and guarded by the Sun. The Sun in ancient Heartish symbolizes glory.

**General Description:** Hearts is known as the Kingdom of Love and Romance although it is rivaled by Diamonds for this title. The irony of this title is that the Kings of this Kingdom are often described as 'heartless' because they do not show mercy to traitors and spies. There's an old saying that goes, "Once captured by Hearts, suicide is the only viable choice to make." So far in recorded history, no spies or traitors have been able to get out of the Kingdom's jail chambers alive. Hearts is also considered the most spiritual Kingdom. The oldest of holy Chapels is said to reside in this Kingdom. All along known history, the Jacks of Hearts were in charge of the Chapels' operations.

When there are outbreaks of war, usually the Jack of the Kingdom will strongly object the decision as it violates the belief of the religion. However, they would be misled by twisted ideals of unscrupulous lords in court. Shrines and Temples have been known to coexist beside the Chapels in this Kingdom and the task of keeping them functioning falls on the Queen of the Kingdom. One can say that the Kingdom is governed mainly by different religions complimenting each other with relatively less conflict. Thus, the title earned by the Kingdom.

**Land of the Voids**

**General description:** It is as void as it is named. A deserted area in which nothing grows. It is rumored that Jokers dwell in these dark regions. Brave adventurers have tried exploring the land but all have failed to return. Information of this place is scarce.

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><p><strong>Footnote:<strong> I hope I can update this regularly.. That is if I don't get owned by real life xD.


	2. Fate of One

**Numbers of his Life**

Story by: _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Summary:** Time is what chooses the royalties of Spade and the same Time chose Arthur in the 21st century universe as Queen. Will this Prof survive in that universe? Cardverse!AU USUK and other possible pairings.

**Author's note:** Hello! I hope you've read through my Info 'chapter/prologue'? I know it's boring... But here's the first chapter. Hopefully it'd make you wana read more of my story/plot. I found this little note in the guidelines of stories in fanfiction, "Stories with non-historical and non-fictional characters: actors, musicians, and etc." Where does that leave Hetalia xD Oh well, on with it!

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: Fate of One<strong>_

"The Queen is dead, your Majesty." The raven-haired royalty adopted a serious tone before sighing softly as he looked at the grief-stricken King. "We've got to-" He was cut short of his sentence when the doors to the chamber burst open. "Your Majesty, your Highness this is terrible! The Kingdom of Hearts has sent a message saying if Spades does not agree to the proposed plans for trade enhancement, war will ensue!" The panicking man breathed heavily to catch his breath. The Jack of the Kingdom watched the tearing figure as he took a couple of long breaths. Eyebrows slid into a frown.

"Get out."

"But Sire-"

"I **said** get out."

The messenger scurried out of the room with fear. Throughout all that, the King's gaze never left the Queen. His hand gripped ever firmly on hers. The soft look on her face reflected the way she peacefully left this world. "Yao," The said man flashed him a look of worry. "Prepare for the death ceremony. She needs to be buried with pride." The King's lips drew into a thin line. His Jack could only do that much to help ease his pain now, but he knew, nothing can replace the lost of someone dear. With a bow, Yao excused himself from the room.

"Why did you do it? Why?" The usually cheerful and sunny blonde gritted his teeth as his tears blurred his vision. The teardrops rolled down the sides of his already tear-stricken face without a hassle. His body shook slightly from the negative emotions that were building up. "W-Wake up…" He choked in between cries. "Y-You promised me; you promised me you'd be there for me forever!" More tears flowed from his eyes. Quick and hasty breaths were drawn during the hiccups. It felt as if his heart was torn into millions of pieces. It felt as if his world came crumbling down. She was his world. She was the one who raised him. The Queen was the King's everything. "Why mother? Why did you go join father so soon? Why did you not wait for me to bring the Kingdom to greater heights? Why did you have to go? Why didn't you wait for me to marry the person of my affection and have grandchildren for you to nurture?" The strained voice whimpered as the emotions got stronger. The lifeless body can never reply to those questions. The King held his mother's hand even tighter, not wanting to let go, not wanting to let his beloved mother exit his world.

"Alfred?" A voice seemed to sound from a few steps away from the bed.

"Alfred?" This time, the King responded. He turned slowly his head to the direction of the whisper. His eyes widened when he saw the source of that voice. He gaped at the scene. "Alfred my dear, you have to be strong now." A pale translucent looking figure stood an arm's length away from the bed. She was clad in the exact same clothes as the body on the bed, beautiful azure dress with frills and laces decorating it – the symbolic dress of the Queen of Spades. She had long, beautiful wheat-coloured hair that was held neatly in place by her crown. Her violet eyes harbored a tint of sadness behind them. She gave her son a weak smile, "Honey, there are many things out there that are unexpected. That includes my death. You mustn't take it too hard. You have to let things go naturally."

"Mother…" Is the only word he could make out as more tears surged from deep within his heart. "Don't be stubborn and wipe your tears. Or else you'd meet someone as stubborn as you as your spouse next time." The ghostly figure chuckled as her son forcibly wiped his tears away when new ones kept forming. The Queen's spirit floated closer to her son. Her lucid hands came close to touching his face. "My dear child, you must not forget your position now. Grief is but an emotion to conquer if you want to be a successful ruler. The lost of someone will always be painful but this is a chance for you to meet other wonderful people and develop more positive feelings. A man who grieves is a man of heart and a man who can let go is a man of strength. Be strong, Alfred."

With a light contactless kiss on the forehead, the spiritual form vanished. All that was left was the cooling sensation on Alfred's face and the body which he has yet to let go. He stared vaguely into the space where his mother's spirit was standing, seemingly thinking over her words carefully. His eyes darted back to the body that was turning cold. He took a few deep breaths and said, "I'm sorry, mother. I'm a man of heart not strength. But I'd try to be after my heart stops grieving. Until then, I won't let go of your hand." He pressed his lips onto her hand with focused eyes, his little cow-lick near the parting of his hair stuck out with greater confidence. Outside this room, no one needs to know of the King's weakness. No one has to know about what happened. No one shall question the King's ability to rule alone.

It has then been decided that the Queen is to be buried in the brilliant rose gardens beside the late King where they first met. A plaque embedded in the monument tells the tale of how their romance ensued, how they built the strongest Kingdom of this world: The tale of the sixth King and Queen of Spades.

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><p>"What?" A bushy brow raised in question. "I beg your pardon; I don't think I've quite caught what you're saying." Emerald eyes stared straight at the person in front of him. The figure was well dressed, a red formal shirt, a properly tied black bowtie, a dashing black suit, a pair of well polished Ecco shoes and to top it all off a brilliant smile plastered on his face. "Come on Arthur! It'd be fun, trust me! Besides you need to get out a bit more, stop burying yourself in those books of history and wars." The figure leaned over Arthur's table with the smile still plastered on his face. "A professor doesn't just stay indoors all the time! You should experience the more modern stuff and relate them to what you wanna' teach your students, then they'd pay attention more, ya' know?"<p>

Arthur's cheek muscles twitched in response at this jolly friend of his. The Dane was an Associate Professor of Public Administration, making him rather well-known across the region for his speech about a radical reform for governmental policies regarding public affairs like healthcare and college fees. With due respect for his fellow colleague, he calmly stated, "Professor Matthias Kohler, I'm sure that how I teach my students is not amongst one of your concerns. I would like to apologise that, no, I am not going." A firm and slightly frustrated look developed across his face as he reached out to an empty teapot.

The Danish professor frowned and explained, "To tell you the truth, we just want you to hang out with us. Man, camping here in your dusty room of books is gonna' make you rot if you don't at least move!" He dodged one of those heavy-looking books hurling his way and made his escape towards the door. "It's just Halloween and the dress-up! Nothing to be uffh-" The Dane stumbled back a few steps before the object which smacked right in his face slid down into his hands. "Ouch, Arthur you need some treatment on that violent tendency there!" He pinched the bridge of his nose in hopes of soothing the numbing muscles lining his face.

"Well I wouldn't need it if you didn't come **barging** into my room, **disrupting** my wonderful tea time and not to mention, demanding such **ridiculous** things from me." A brilliant smirk spread across the Briton's face as chin rested perfectly nestled on his interlaced fingers. Then, in a split second, the smirk turned into a scowl, "Now, I'd appreciate if you were to get out; and close the door as you leave, thank you."

"Yes, yes, your Majesty, as you wish." Matthias sighed as he pulled the door shut behind him. Two ladies swarmed over to him, "How was it? Did he agree?" The taller lady probed as her brilliant harlequin eyes sparkled in question. The lone guy squirmed a little under the sudden limelight-attention. Nervously, he laughed and scratched the nape of his neck, "Well, I already did my best but sorry, I couldn't convince him!" He earned himself glares and pouts from the two ladies.

"You said it'd totally work!" A younger girl exclaimed with detest, hands outstretched into a blaming gesture. Her russet-coloured hair was neatly tied into two ponytails with red ribbons. She was an exchange student from Seychelles working on a project for the conservation of endangered fish species.

"I'm disappointed in you Matty, you said 'Leave it to me!' and now you busted it all." A little Belgium twist in accent gave her nationality away. An overseas visiting professor was not rare to see in this academy, especially one from a neighbouring European country. Her works as a food scientist were truly outstanding. A recently published scientific paper about the chemistry of chocolate and its effects on females was utmost appealing. She turned away, crossed her arms and pouted. It was going to so interesting had Matthias gotten Arthur out for Halloween! She was going to dress him as an evil badass pirate while Mattias a wicked Viking, Sesel and herself would dress as a sexy vampire and a cute witch; then, together they can go roam the streets for trick-and-tricking – and very much be the Kings and Queens of that night! Now that this little fantasy isn't going to happen..

A loud sigh escaped her lips, "This is all your fault! As an apology, take me and Sesel out for dinner tonight! And no arguing! We get to choose the place!"

"But Bel!"

"No buts!" She stuck out her tongue at the wheat-haired man before pulling her tanned companion to the laboratories.

Inside the room, however, there was a much calmer ambience. Faint wafts of aroma from the freshly brewed Earl Grey filled the air. Arthur couldn't finally kick back and relax for the day, enjoying what he loves best. Mind you but, reading reference books, past war notes or letters aren't his only hobbies. Those hobbies are also part of enhancing his teachings during class. A good gentlemen always has his cup of tea, relaxes in a garden full of roses which he tends to and maybe some fine embroidery during his free time (probably one of the only things that remind him of his mother).

"Hmm, this is interesting. A telegram recovered from World War I. This telegram encodes of the message from the Foreign Secretary of the German Empire, Arthur Zimmermann. How coincidental, his name is Arthur as well. Let's see if I can decode this." Arthur pulled out a book from within the third row of his shelves, eager to find out if he had the right information for a correct decoding and translation. However, the adjacent book fell from the shelves and landed on its spine on the ground. The force caused it to flip to one of the centre pages where some kind of card was stuck inside. The Briton reckoned it's a piece of bookmark that he had long forgotten. Out of whim, he picked the book and the 'bookmark' up.

"_Queen of Spades..?"_ The first thing he noticed about the bookmark.

He thought as his brows knitted in the middle, retracing how this card got in this book. He wasn't a fan of poker, neither were any of his friends. None of his students ever touched his treasure hoard of books without permission; and even if they did, no one every borrowed this one. It was a book about different types of magic and some ancient spells that have known to work. Surely, Arthur has read this book a couple of times out of boredom but none can he remember slipping this card in. The intriguing thing is why the Queen of Spades? If he had to choose a card as a bookmark, it'd have been the Ace of Spades or any other card – not that it matters though. The Queen just doesn't seem to attract his attention, though he thinks the design for the Spades queen was a little unique. Compared to other cards, she was holding onto a flower similar to the Clubs queen except the centre was slight blue-ish and she held a scepter with a Spades shape decorated at the top. It seemed as if amongst the queens, she was a fighter and commanded respect from all others without letting go of her feminine charm.

He checked the card's front and back for any writings or notes to show its importance but found none. _"It's just a bookmark. Silly me, how can I be thinking it's of any importance."_ He shrugged and placed the card on the table casually while putting the book back to the shelf. He remembered clearly there was no need for a bookmark for that book and besides, he already lost the page number the card was at when it fell.

"Now where was I..? Ahh! The encoding, yes, what have we here?" He recollected his thoughts while flipping through the book fervently, searching for the coding page. When he finally found it, he quickly grabbed a pen from his little stationery container. It was an antique-looking design with 3 compartments – namely for the stationery, the post-its and pieces of scrap paper that Arthur uses frequently. Without looking, he tried grabbing the post-it pad. The holder fell as Arthur made a small eager pull at the object which got partly stuck. Just like a chain reaction, the holder fell onto his teacup and made his precious relaxant spill over his work. "Oh goodness gracious!" He grabbed the wiping cloth from within his drawer and began cleaning his table. Thank god his documents and books aren't too wet. Then, something caught his eye. The card got soaked and strange words seem to be appearing on it. The sandy blonde lifted the dripping wet card up while attempting to drain the tea off of it. He barely made out the words written in a cursive style.

"_Take me to Spades where the roses bloom,_

_Crown me a Queen in thy throne room,_

_Love me before troubles loom,_

_Leave me not or all is doomed."_

Almost instantly, a light source shone onto Arthur's face and began drawing a circle encompassing a vague hexagram design. Ancient-looking writings began appearing around the circle and more complex shapes overlapped each other. The floor began to glow within that circle. He tried peering through his squinting eyes, "What in the world-?" The radiance soon engulfed the entire room and Arthur's entire being. Then, silence casted its net over the room. In place of where the Briton stood moments ago, was the cloth he was holding onto for the drying of his things. In other words, Arthur Kirkland has vanished from the world he was in.

'_Mission accomplished.'_ Three figures nodded in agreement before softly clicking the door close.

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><p><strong>Footnote:<strong> I hope you enjoyed my first chapter! Let me know if there's any mistakes. :)


	3. Destiny of Two

**Numbers of his Life**

Story by: _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Summary:** Time is what chooses the royalties of Spade and the same Time chose Arthur in the 21st century universe as Queen. Will this Prof survive in that universe? Cardverse!AU USUK and other possible pairings.

**Author's note:** Hi! Hope you didn't wait too long for the 2nd chapter. I was intending to finish the 3rd before posting the 2nd but oh well... Anyway a funny quote I discovered while searching for words. Idk how I came across this but, heh, here goes: **_"Close your eyes and think of England."_** Go google that and have a good laugh ;P Oh oh! Special thanks to these people for writing reviews:_ CelestielCiel, Kem, Jet Set Radio Yoyo _and_ MintMilkTea_!

And I hope you would enjoy Chapter 2!

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 2: Destiny of two<em>**

"Your Majesty, your Highness, the next batch of people is ready for your inspection." A noble bowed in respect to the two sovereigns of the kingdom. He gestured his hand towards the direction of the doors separating the beautifully garnished throne room and the corridors. "…" A lack of response from the King earned questioning looks from both the Jack and the other present in the room at that time. The Jack, knowing precisely what was on the King's mind, asked the noble to step aside for a while. "Shall I send them to the waiting room first well, his Majesty takes a break?" The well-dressed noble asked concernedly after realizing the atmosphere in this room. "Yes, aru. His Majesty is very tired working against the war threats from the Kingdom of Hearts. Ask those people to wait in the waiting room until his Majesty summons them." The raven haired royalty instructed before the other excused himself.

"Thanks, Yao." Came a low, chipped voice from the only other person in the room. Yao found himself looking at him with much worry. There was really nothing he could do at the moment except to do his best in internal affairs while his King dealt with decisions and external ones. The lack of a Queen definitely took a toll on this Kingdom. For any functioning Kingdom, the King does the decision-making, policy-passings, in other words, he called the shots; the Queen takes care of the defences, education, socializing with the people and court as well as, foreign matters with the King; while the Jack takes care of internal discrepancies like finance, allocation of land, court problems and etc. Now that the Queen has yet to be found, the responsibilities of the Queen were split between the King and the Jack.

"It's good to take a break from now and then, aru. Alfred, as the King, you need to take care of your body. We may have to go to war with Hearts, if anything goes wrong. Selection of the Queen can come later after we settle this." Yao explained. Not that he was wrong, but really, the way the Kingdom is functioning right now, it seems as if the Queen's position can be void for a while – just that both of them have to work harder.

The other figure let out a loud sigh before he gazed at the little pocket watch shaped like a Spade intently. For one, the clock had stopped running after the death of his mother along with the Queen's clock – the giant round clock with roman digits that seemed to be practically unmovable by sheer weight. But then again, he'd never seen that clock move until the day his father died. Alfred heard from his mother that the clock never works until they had to choose a new King or Jack; and the Queen was chosen by his pocket watch which will start running again when the future Queen were to be close. The hour hand always pointed to the King, the minute hand to the Queen and the seconds to the Jack. He never understood how he could tell time with this malfunctioning thing. It never told time for all he knew. _"I wish the new Queen would show himself or herself soon. I need all the help I can get." _He thought.

"I'm gonna' take a break in the gardens." With that he left the room and headed for the beautifully groomed gardens. Yao gave a small smile at Alfred knowing the reason the blonde was heading there. Then, he gave a small sigh at how cruel this world was to this kingdom and its King.

Alfred walked pass the enclosed corridors to the opened end leading to the outside. Beautiful plants twined around the arbors lining the path leading to the gorgeous garden. Many lilac blossoms of Wisteria draped from the arched portions of the arbors. A slight draft of wind brought a few loose petals dancing along with it. The sight was truly a magnificent and romantic one. If only his new Queen can see all this and appreciate them as much as he does. Then he'd be able to proudly boast about how this magically wonderful garden is maintained by no one other than the King himself. Well, of course, his mother started the whole garden thing and little Prince Alfred would wade around her and help. He never thought of being chosen as the King by the clock when his father died. The whole bloodline thing didn't work for the selection but somehow it did for him – pure coincidence maybe?

Every single time he walks through this path and down the stairs towards the fountain situated at the centre of this terraced garden, all of his worries and troubles seem to vanish for a while. The fragrance of the rose hedges on each terraced levels would calm any troubled soul particularly when it's the season where all those blue roses littered the bushes and bloomed brilliantly. He carefully plucked out a rose, avoiding the thorns skillfully and gave it a quick sniff. "This one will do." He said as he approached the graves located just a distance away from the fountain. A pair of exquisitely craved tombstones stood erect off the ground; surrounding them are a few purplish plum blossom trees in full bloom. Several petals floated in midair before falling around the graves. Azure eyes focused on the names engraved onto those tombstones before placing the freshly plucked flower onto the space in front. He took a seat on the cemented floor next to the graves.

"Dad, Mom, it's me again, Alfred. I know you'd probably think I'm a nuisance by now Dad but I'm really in need of advice and luck. Mom, when's my Queen going to appear? How's he or she going to be like? Will I like him or her? Will we get along well? I hope he or she would give his or her heart for the Kingdom. Dad, how is Mom like when she first met you? Did you two get along well?" He averted his gaze to the skies above. The cerulean skies were decorated by beautiful cotton like clouds. A light breeze lapped onto Alfred's face and whispers sounded close to his ear, seemingly answering all the questions the young King asked. "Is that so, mom, dad?" He lifted his arm, pointing it towards the sky. His fingers flexed and stretched in attempt to grab the clouds high above from the perception on the ground. His eyelids slowly flutter close to ease himself into the serene environment.

Suddenly, violent gusts of wind whipped through the garden, shaking the trees and bushes wildly. The King's eyes snapped open after sensing the imminent danger. Flowers, petals and leaves became airborne chaotically. Twigs snapped and some managed to cut the King's face. He could only squirt his eyes and hold out his arms protectively in front of his face while trying to find the source of a squall of such magnitude. All the winds seem to concentrate at a single space on the other side of the graves. He growled and gritted his teeth at the invisible force. His instincts kicked in almost instantaneously to prepare himself for the attack. "Who's there? Show yourself!" With that, the winds blew even stronger, vortex-ing around that same spot threatening to suck Alfred into it. He ducked and pressed himself closely to the cemented surface while his fingers held firmly onto the curb. A faint silhouette began to take shape inside the vortex. Thoughts of how he should ambush the attacker when he materialized starting running through the wheat-haired head; currently, one stood out from the rest – much like his cowlick. He let go of his grip on the curb and allowed the forces to carry him towards the target. With arms spread out, he tackled the materializing person. Both of them rolled some distance away from the centre due to the collision as the winds died down, sending flower petals dancing gracefully as they fell to the ground.

"Oww oh bollocks ouch, I think I broke something." Said the figure, now trapped underneath of Alfred. He squirm a little trying to move the heavy weight on top of him. Alfred stared at the man with confused eyes. He has never heard of such strange accent even though this world is full of other accents. What got his attention more was those 'things' on his face. What are those? Eyebrows or uncontrolled growth of black mosses? The said man's brows that slid to a frown when he discovered the weight wasn't shifting at all. His eyes slowly opened to see what exactly kept him from getting up. What Alfred saw were lush emerald eyes, greener than any forests that he had seen, deeper than any oceans that he had come across. "Such breathtaking eyes…" He breathed out his thoughts not realizing the other heard him.

The owner of those eyes felt heat rising to his cheeks. He developed a slight blush when he realized the person atop of him was complimenting his eyes. But wait..? What was the person doing in the first place? What was he going to do? He mustered all his strength to push the man off of him. The man gave a little yelp when he got pushed off in a surprise. That caused his train of thoughts to derail beyond recognition. What was he thinking? He thought his assailant's eyes were beautiful? He shook his head slightly before regaining his stand. "Who are you and why have you attacked me? Were you sent by the Kingdom of Hearts as a spy?" The voice demanded.

"I would like to ask you the same thing. First of all, I don't know what the heck you're talking about. Second of all, where is this place? Third of all, why did we end up in the position earlier?" Blue eyes narrowed on the suspicious figure. Alfred noticed the dressing of this suspicious man. His clothes look nothing like those he'd seen – a collared pale blue shirt slightly dirtied from the rolling just now, a pair of dark-coloured trousers slightly shorter than his leg length revealing his pair of pale purple socks and a pair of leather shoes. The man felt uncomfortable at Alfred's constant staring. It felt like he was checking him out, so he faked a cough to get his attention off of his body, "You should stop staring; it's making me feel uncomfortable. Fine, I'll answer your questions first. I'm Arthur Kirkland, and I did not attack you. I don't even know you in the first place. And what's Kingdom of Hearts? I've never heard of that, where on Earth is that?" Arthur shifted his weight from one leg to the other while waiting for a reply. His eyes avoided contact with the other.

"You don't know what Kingdom of Hearts is and you don't know who I am? That's new… What's Earth? And oh, I guess I'd introduce myself. I'm Alfred F. Jones, King of Spades. And regarding that position just now, well, I thought you were an assassin so I kinda' pounced on you before you could attack. Sorry if I hurt you." Alfred apologized while thinking that Arthur wasn't really a threat at all. Well, from the looks of it, he seemed under-equipped for such a job. No scepter for channeling magic, no proper attire, and not to mention, he looks out of this world! But oh, maybe he's some really powerful wizard from some god-forsaken place that doesn't need a scepter. _Oh crap._

"It's 'kind of' not kinda. God, I swear all Americans butcher my country's language. And Earth is Earth. It's a planet we live on? You've never heard about it?" His fuzzy brows furrowed into a frown. He started eyeing the attire of the only other man in the garden. He had white undershirt with a slightly crocked persian blue tie holding the collars in place. That was covered with a double-breasted waistcoat with two straight rows of buttons running vertically down the length. He did catch a glimpse of the notched lapel design of that palatinate blue waistcoat. He wore a pair of tan trousers and a pair of brown leather shoes similar to those Arthur was wearing. The main cornflower-coloured, long-sleeved, high-collared coat fit him nicely and ended at a decent length just below his knees. He noticed 2 peculiarly-shaped symbols down the lower portions of the buttons column. He took it those two symbols signifies the Kingdom of Spades or rather the King of Spades. _"Truly patriotic I believe. And how is this lad even a King. He can't do his bloody tie properly." _Arthur's eyes narrowed at that crocked tie around Alfred's neck and scowled.

The taller of the two quirked his brow in question, with a slight stutter, he asked, "W-What's American? Why can't I say kinda? It's my Kingdom and my freedom to speak however I like! And what's that scowl for? It makes you sound so evil and mean when you're actually nice and cute." Uh-oh… He didn't actually think that way right? He didn't actually say that out, did he? He gulped nervously before stealing peeps at the other. From Arthur's range of emotions – from a perfectly embarrassed face to a wonderfully pissed-face – the King was sure he wanted to steer clear of that.

"American is a nationality. You're American when you're born in America or have stayed there long enough and you'd probably spend your life trying to butcher English." Somehow Arthur felt nice enough to suppress his anger and explain the terms without murdering this person right in front of him. Well, he did compliment him _in a way_.

"English? I'm not American for one, I'm a Spade. I don't speak whatever is English; I speak Spadian and probably a bit of other kingdom's language – Diamiate, Heartish and Clubsque. And I have to say, you're speaking pretty fluent Spadian. If I didn't know, I would have thought you grew up here!"

"But from what I'm hearing, you're speaking fluent English, not those gazago-what languages."

There was a pregnant pause. Both pairs of eyes made contact while the owners' brains worked out what the heck was going on.

"You mean I'm speaking Spadian?" A prompt nod was given by the young King.

"And you say I'm speaking English?" The other figure nodded at him as an answer. Silence casted its net over the two of them. Not even a single chirp from the birds can be heard – just the light breeze rustling the bushes and the creaking of branches as company.

"What on earth is going on?"

"Again with the Earth thing; let me tell you, we're in the world of Trumps. You're in the Land of Water and the great Kingdom of Spades." Alfred beamed from ear to ear as he proudly introduced his land and his Kingdom. The silly grin turned into a frown when he noticed Arthur's reaction. He had given him an uninterested look and not uttering a word or making a reaction. "Oh come on, Artie. At least give some reaction when someone tries to boast about his achievements and knowledge."

A vein popped and a few cheek muscles twitched in response to the given nickname hardly 10 minutes into the conversation. "First of all, I do not recall being friends with you. Next, I think calling me Artie is not appropriate, I have a name and that is Arthur. Third, I simply cannot bring myself to believe that you are a King at all. I can't bring myself to think of how your people are suffering because of you. I can't even stand a minute just listening to you, you insufferable twat."

"You just did?" It was more of a rhetorical question. Arthur shot a glare at Alfred. He seemed to tick him off really easy – not that he was hard to but man, this guy is definitely on top of the charts. Not to mention but, he isn't exactly in his own world anymore. If this guy is a King, he should be able to get him out of this place… Right? Then again, this world seems rather interesting. The rose garden, the plum blossoms, the ambience, it was such a good place to have a cup of nice tea. Speaking of tea, he was enjoying his cup back in his room until that strange card fell out of his book. How could a gentleman miss his afternoon tea time?

"What time is it now and do you have tea in this, well, world?"

"Tea, yes. But I would recommend coffee instead and time, let me check." Alfred dug his hand into the side pocket of his coat and pulled out a spade-shaped clock subconsciously. While doing so he realized it was something that wouldn't tell time now and rolled his eyes at himself. "What the heck am I thinking? This stupid excuse for a.. Clock..?" Blue eyes now stared intensely at the pocket watch. He snapped out of the staring and proceeded to rubbing his eyes thoroughly and checked the watch again. Alfred gaped at the object and left his mouth hanging in shock.

"Is something wrong?" Worry conquered over the Briton's face.

Alfred's attention was split into two. One was interpreting what the clock was telling him and two, looking at Arthur and the clock back and forth frantically. "The.. The clock moved!" Indeed. The minute hand moved from its original position at 5 o'clock to the current position of 12 o'clock. The hand was also trying to stabilize its position like the other hands that were currently in motion. It was pointing at the figure standing right in front of him.

"Of course the clock hands moved. It is supposed to move, idiot." Arthur rolled his eyes in annoyance. Really now, a King that gets all worked up because a damned pocket watch moved its hands? Just what kind of world is this? "Y-You don't understand! When this clock moves, it means the Queen of the Kingdom is chosen. A-and it looks like you are the chosen one." Looks like? More like, that's a fact since the stupid thing was supposed to be revived in close proximity of the new Queen. This is great… The new Queen popped up right in front of Alfred when he least expected it. He'd already gotten into a fight with his new partner in life and obviously, left a pretty bad impression.

He watched the other's reaction to that statement he made. A twisted look of anger and confusion as brows knitted in the middle. "A Queen? Are you mad? I'm a bloody guy. How can I possibly be a god damn Queen?" He hollered. Alfred winced from the sudden change in volume. "Queens are but positions; gender doesn't matter in most Kingdoms. I hate to break this to you, my new Queen. In Spades, the King and Queen are supposed to be linked by marital status."

_3.. 2…_

"**WHAT?**" A shriek pierced through the skies. The wheat-head crouched down while covering his ears dearly in fear of going deaf. When the shriek finally ended, Alfred let out a half-hearted sigh and crept closer to Arthur. The frustrated figure hadn't shunned him away yet since he was probably too busy absorbing that piece of oh-so-shocking information, so he made some advances towards the other. He brought his new found Queen's hand to his lips, pressing against the back of it. Arthur eyed the whole process suspiciously and anger bubbling. "Well, don't take it this badly. I'm a good guy! I promise to take good care of you and-"

A punch connected with his delicate face.

"What the fuck was that for?" Alfred held his throbbing cheek in protest. He swore that he'd never met such a rude and violent person like Arthur. He was the King of the Kingdom for god's sake! No one ever ill-treats the King or they shall be beheaded! Well, maybe not beheaded, since he wasn't one of those tyrant kings of other eras. Still, he was a King nonetheless. What King would he be if others found out his Queen just gave him a flying punch instead of a greeting kiss? Alfred scowled at that fact while trying to soothe the ache in the left side of his face.

"Perhaps the message hasn't gotten through into your head yet, would you want another?" The Englishman spat at him while glaring at his company. A quick shake of the head was the silent response. "Good. Now, how do I get home from here?" Arthur asked while looking around, searching for some sort of portal that could send him back home. Though, it'd be nice to hang around for a bit if he couldn't get home immediately. The garden is too fascinating, wonderful, and beautiful – there wasn't really a better word to describe it – to leave behind. Let's just say he was _that_ captivated by the terraced garden.

"I don't know? We've never had people like you popping out of nowhere and coming from a place called Earth. I doubt even Yao knows where that is. Anyway, you can't really go home anymore. Since the clock chose you as our new Queen, you have to be crowned Queen and rule with me and my Jack. We really need all the help we can get. War is looming with the Kingdom of Hearts. Please, help us? And it doesn't matter if you agree or not, I won't take no as an answer." Arthur's brow twitched in response to the last sentence. He felt frustration build up within him. He wasn't even from their world! Why must he be dragged into this fiasco that he'd never be involved in? And this idiot is one sentence short of saying 'I officially own your life'.

As in reading his mind, Alfred explained, "Look, I know you don't belong here and you got forced into all this for god-knows-what reason. It's not going to get better if you keep thinking of the bad side. Look on the bright side! This is a new environment, new people, new everything! It's like living a new life! And you have the heroic me as a husband! How bad can it- Waa!" The young King got interrupted from another punch thrown in his direction. Unfortunately for Arthur, his punch got caught by Alfred and easily subdued in strength. _"How the bloody hell is this git this strong?"_ He thought as he tried to pull his fist back from Alfred's grip. "One of these days, the newsflash in the markets would be "King Alfred murdered by his beloved Queen." Oh man, that would be totally embarrassing!"

Arthur fought down a blush. This daft was already treating him like they're married. Beloved? What the heck? He raised his free arm in preparation for another punch. It got stopped pretty effortlessly by the other who seemed to expect the outcome. With both hands trapped, Arthur could only grit his teeth in protest while trying to wriggle his arms free. One more sentence of teasing, he swore, he'd headbutt this guy. Alfred laughed heartily at the futile attempts. "Hey, you wouldn't know! Maybe you'd be so attached to this world, you'd decide to leave your world behind and join ours for good."

"As if I will. For one, the King already left me bad enough impression of what I can expect of this world." Arthur snorted though he noticed a slight expression of hurt flashing across Alfred's face. Feeling a little guilty of hurting the boy, he quickly added. "Well unless, the said person can turn it around, though I'd say it's a miracle."

"A miracle? That sounds like a job for a hero like me! I'll make sure you voluntarily stay, my dear!" His blue eyes sparkled with enthusiasm before curving into a brilliant grin. A little smile tugged the side of Arthur's mouth. For the first time in many years, he actually felt the fuzzy warm feeling. He couldn't help but feel that way. It felt good when your well-being was taken into much consideration and when you were given so much attention, you just felt loved – well, maybe not… Yet… Instead of sulking about how cruel life is to him by giving him such an unpredictable task, it was exactly like Arthur to take up the challenge. No matter how hard it is, he'd at least try. At least there was one place that needed him badly, not that he minds though. He vaguely remembered what his Belgium friend always said to him,_ "When life hands you lemons, you make something out of them like lemonade or lemon sherbet or lemon pie. All you have to do is to treat it as a beginning of a new journey and make something useful out of it!"_

_"A beginning of a new life… I can get used to that."_ He chuckled, leaving the Alfred raising one slender brow in confusion at the sudden change of mood.

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><p><strong>Footnote:<strong> Back to wrecking my brains over chapter 3. I hope to start and finish chapter 4 by this weekend T_T. Hope you've enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Kingdom of Three

**Numbers of his Life**

Story by: _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Summary:** Time is what chooses the royalties of Spade and the same Time chose Arthur in the 21st century universe as Queen. Will this Prof survive in that universe? Cardverse!AU USUK and other possible pairings.

**Author's note:** Hey peeps! I think some paragraphs are really really long and the font is rather small but I hope you bare with me cause I honestly don't know where to partition them properly so that they don't disrupt the flow (I work on MS Word so they seem rather ok to me in there). I seriously need a beta reader for my lack of grammar, vocabulary and what-not lol. Special thanks to these following people for their reviews 3 - _Kem, kooliobutterflyhahaha, CelestialCiel, RawrGodzirra and MintMilkTea. _Truth be told, I am working hard on chapter 4! Anyhow, do enjoy chapter 3!

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 3: Kingdom of three<em>**

"You must be bloody kidding me." A loud groan sounded throughout the castle corridors. A few servants stopped to survey the source while some just strode away as if it was normal. In actual fact, it was normal. A loud thud was heard from one of the beautifully garnished doors when someone's chin made contact with it. A few lips pressed into a thin line as eyes averted the direction of sight. "Eyebrows, I mean, your Majesty, this is all in preparation of your coronation ceremony. There are many more things we have to do before you can retire to your bedroom tonight. Your schedule for today is very packed. I'm sorry but we do not have the time for a break, let alone tea. We'd be in trouble if your Majesty does not complete today's tasks."

"And his Majesty can't even have a break or something he loves. Please kill me right now."Arthur sighed as he pressed his shoulders against the side of the table while laying his head on it. He looked out of the window. He watched the raindrops hit the windows. Multiple drops merged to form bigger ones while sliding down with the force of gravity. His weary mind started drifting. It was two week ago when he got teleported to this strange world, met the King in a freak chance and be chosen as the Queen. Now in a month's time, he was to know everything there is to this world and Kingdom – honestly that took Alfred and Yao more than 5 years to do it. The worst of all, he was literally forbidden to have tea breaks and whatnots by his lady-in-waiting and tutors. Before his personal attendee could come up with a retort, the door creaked open.

"Are you throwing a tantrum again, Artie?" A familiar voice sounded behind him. Frankly, Arthur was too tired to even be bothered turning his head to face the owner of that voice. "What do you want?" He groaned with eyes half-lidded. He already gave up trying to correct the other about his owner laughed and a shuffle of feet could be heard. Then, the door clicked close right after. "Some quality time with my dear Queen would be good!" A faint familiar fragrance drifted towards Arthur. Immediately, he sat up in recognition of that smell: freshly brewed tea. He swallowed audibly. A small smile played across his face as a 'thank you for saving me' gesture. Alfred sure knew when he needed a lifting of spirits. After putting away all the books, papers and documents stacked high above his table, Arthur could finally rest with a nice cup of tea and relax to the raining scene outside of the window. As much as he enjoyed reading and learning new things, those evil things on his table coupled with the cool weather made him nod off several times. "How're you getting along with the preparations? Was the lady-in-waiting good enough? I can get her changed if you like." It was nice to hear how concerned his future 'husband' was to his well-being. It was nice to be pampered once in a while though there was no way he was going to admit that.

"For the preparations part, I'm literally dying. I'm not saying the history and geography of Spades is boring but there's just too much to remember in such a short time." His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose in attempt to ease a rising headache. "The lady is strict but good, she's considerate but has my whole schedule packed like sardines. It's ok if you don't change her, at least she make sure I finish every single thing on time, that I'm afraid, also means my meal and sleeping times. Don't even get me started on how she tried to murder me if I were in the bathroom a minute more than the allocated time." Arthur picked up the teacup while rolling his eyes at that thought. He stole a few sips of tea and a few moments of well-earned rest. The warm liquid rolled over his tongue enticing his taste buds in little sparks of pleasure. He fought down the urge to moan when he felt warmth spread throughout his body starting from his stomach.

Although the tea wasn't as good as it is back at home, it'd do for now; and how perfect it would be if only someone were to massage his aching shoulders. As if on cue, he found hands giving rhythmic squeezes to his slender shoulders. "You must have had a tiring day. You should have let her know if you wanted a break." He didn't mind the little intimate advances the other was making anymore. He figured it was all to make both of them feel comfortable with the future days ahead. He wouldn't mind falling in love with his idiotic King if he were so considerate, careful and gentle all the time. To be honest, he wasn't picky of gender anymore after he gave up looking for love. He got so tired of chasing after it, he'd rather wait for it to come knocking at his door.

"Oh please, you should have seen her face when I tried to even bring the word 'rest' up." He rolled his eyes in annoyance yet again. There had been so many things he had to roll his eyes at. But it was alright considering how he finally had what he yearned for. Ohh, just thinking about all the authority he could get when he's finally named Queen sent shivers down his spine. Revenge would be sweet. His lips curled in a smirk against the rim of his teacup. A sigh from behind him then broke his trail of thoughts. It was followed by the halting of the comfortable massage on his shoulders. He could sense the lad's worries and judging by the dark circles below his eyes, the King probably couldn't get a good rest too. Perhaps he should say something to console the other, but what could he say? 'You're doing great. Sit down and relax a little.' Or 'Don't worry too much; I'll be there to help soon.'? Both didn't really sound good enough. He decided, he'd let silence do the consoling. Maybe it was better if he kept quiet – he had little knowledge of what was going on anyway. His lips drew into a thin line while his brows furrowed. The sense of being unable to help someone in need was simply unbearable, was he feeling the same? He watched as blue eyes stared fixatedly at a spot on the carpeted ground.

"Alfred! So you are here in the Queen's study, aru! I've been looking for you all over the palace!" The door opened, revealing an averagely heighted man with his raven hair tied neatly back into a ponytail. The clothes he was wearing displayed his rank in court and the way he called Alfred by his first name showed that he was the other royalty of Spade. "How dare you escape the meeting with our heads of ministerial boards? You cannot treat this like a game! Lives are at stake!" The raven royalty flared in anger. How can his King be so irresponsible? Recently he had been visiting the Queen's study room so frequently for breaks and now he skipped a meeting for him? Sometimes Yao really hoped the Queen did not appear. He was a freaking distraction for Alfred! He eyed suspiciously at the man seated in a comfy arm chair and the other leaning against the side of the arm chair.

"Hey hey calm down man! I didn't skip it! I asked for a postponement! They can't even produce proper figures to argue their concerns! It's not my fault, seriously… Besides if I've been working my ass off, shouldn't they do the same? And I think I deserve some rest and spend some time with my soon-to-be spouse." The King retorted, while frowning.

_"He has a point…"_ Yao thought. He let a sigh escape his chapped lips. Like Arthur, Yao never failed to notice the eye bags and dark circles below Alfred's eyes. Though to most people, they might seem light due to his rather tanned complex. Both the Queen-to-be and the Jack knew deep down, he was just finding a reasonable excuse to escape for even a minute from the tense atmosphere; the atmosphere in which the King pretended not to know or succumb under. He had the whole Kingdom on his shoulders. Even if he chose to spend time with Arthur to escape temporarily from this life, Arthur wouldn't mind. He was a little glad he existed somewhere in Alfred's thoughts as someone who could make him forget the world for a while. _"There's no burden heavier," _Arthur thought. _"A mature man in his late thirties wouldn't be able to do this well, let alone a nineteen-year-old." _He vaguely remembered a handsome and charismatic man of many contributions and responsibilities to his country: a Prime Minister of great talents. He was greatly admired for his efforts in office during the Second World War. Having seen and been in countless wars in his lifetime, he pulled through many obstacles and emerged victorious. Now, if only Alfred could pull through this like him. Oh! Or even be half of what Alfred the Great was like, well they do share the same name…

The room grew awkwardly silent. Arthur cleared his throat in attempt to break it. "Well, Alfred and I should be done with our little break-time soon; keeping note that we both have got lots to do. Would you care to join us for five minutes? I do believe you need some rest too." A friendly gesture to leave a better impression for the Jack he hoped.

The first meeting was pretty horrible. He recalled being brought to the throne room to meet and greet the other royalty of the Kingdom by Alfred. En route to the room, he got rather pissed by Alfred's constant rambling of what is what, where is what etc. It ended up like an unofficial tour of the palace. Of course, there were some places that made him awe in wonder. But in his defense, being dragged around the place in lighting speed would make anyone growl in anger. When they did get to the throne room, he exhaled a small 'finally'. He remembered the wheat-head call out the other's name enthusiastically (of course). He couldn't really catch what his name was but when he did see the other royalty, the only thing that went through his mind was _"Oh my, an Asian."_ It wasn't in a bad way because given his work experience and interactions with Universities and exchanges over the world, he now classified the ones he worked with as passionate and hardworking on the subjects of their interests. Arthur was really looking forward to working with this raven haired man. He swore he was until…

"Who is this weird person with thick eyebrows aru? You're not supposed to bring commoners into the throne room. Alfred, you know the rules."

Well, one can only say in a calmer manner that he snapped like an overstretched rubber-band. In reality, he did more than snapping. A good word to describe would be he exploded. As if the teasing and pissing him off of the King wasn't enough, even the Jack had to tick him off. He had no complete respect for the person who would be the Queen soon. Blinded by anger, Arthur wouldn't find an excuse for this guy, instead, he jumped onto him and the two started fighting. Little did Arthur know that the Asian was a martial arts expert. He was easily subdued in a matter of seconds. The Brit only got his limbs untangled with the help of Alfred when he tried to explain the situation. Really now, was that arm-lock necessary? Arthur narrowed his eyes on the shorter man. Yao did the same. Alfred was pretty sure he heard a low scowl from Arthur. He could've sworn he saw sparks flying off between their judgmental stares. He faked a cough in attempt to get the other two's attention. For now, the thing he needed most now was a peaceful introductory, that should be enough for the cooperation matters and management of the Kingdom. At least that's what he thinks…

"Ahh well, erm, Yao, this is Arthur Kirkland. He's our future Queen, not a commoner. And Arthur, this is Yao Wang, the Jack of Spades." His eyes darted nervously between the two figures. A wave of awkward silence seemed to blanket over them yet again. Then, Yao's head turned in Alfred's direction. His facial expressions contorted into one of shock. His pupils widened a little. He looked at his King intently in search of a joke or a lie but the King just gave a huge grin and scratched his neck. He gave a small frown in annoyance, and then proceeded to checking the stranger out. To be frank, Arthur felt being violated under that constant stare which ran up and down the length of his body. He avoided all eye contact while his cheek twitched in response.

"You're kidding, aren't you? How can this uncouth person be our future Queen aru? What is with his dressing? It looks out of this world." Before Yao can even utter the next word, he felt a pair of green eyes eyeing furiously at him. The intensity of the stare caused his breath to hitch in his throat. The owner then breathed deeply and stated calmly, "For that, I clarify that yes, my dressing is indeed out of this world because I don't belong here in the first place." Arms folded across the chest in defense. Oh if one saw that look of pure horror on the Jack's face, they would be so satisfied. Revenge is pretty sweet, Arthur would say. A satisfactory smirk lingered on his face. He took this chance to observe the robes the Jack was in. Honestly, the silken extension at the bottom made the robe look like a dress and it didn't help when Yao had a pony tail. The man can be easily mistaken as a lady!

The Jack's expression then morphed into one of worry and concern. Without a word, he hurried out of the room, seemingly recalling something. "Was it something I said?" The blonde said while watching the door close. In his heart, he wasn't sure whether to feel relief that the Asian has left or to feel worried if he knew something about Arthur's world. What if because he's an alien in this world, he was supposed to be gotten rid of. Perhaps Yao remembered something that could send him back? _"Oh that would be marvellous!"_ Arthur held high hopes for the latter.

"I'm not sure myself. He did rush off without a word you know. I don't have telepathic abilities sheesh." The King shrugged. It sounded as if Arthur asked a dumb question and when he just gave the act some thoughts. He narrowed his eyes at the taller figure, unimpressed by his 'unintentional' answer.

"Why did I even ask you?" The blonde rested his forehead against his palm.

"I don't know? Maybe because you think I know everything! You think I'm smart! Aww Artie, you're so sweet!"

"You'd wish."

"I do wish! But now that I know my Queen's gonna' sweet and understanding, there's no need for wishing!"

That, simply left Arthur speechless. He wasn't sure whether he should be angry or should he feel depressed by the fact he was going to be stuck with an idiot. His fingers calmly massaged his temples trying to ease an upcoming headache. He closed his eyes for a rest. Why did he think this would be a good change to welcome? Regretting was not going to help at all. He knew very well he had to face this just to get home. And home, would be the main driving force now. "Hey, you've been rubbing your temples for quite a while now. Are you alright? If you like I can get servants to prepare a room for you to rest in."

A gentle smile formed on Alfred's face. The Englishman's eyes softened at that warm smile. It reminded him of a similar scene deep within his memories. A little boy, a toddler of age five perhaps, was smiling like an angel to his nine-year-old self while holding his tiny hands in his own. He roughly made out the surroundings from vague memories. It was probably somewhere near a tiny stream and a vast field as a background. He reckoned it was near his old home in Bristol before he moved to London while his brothers all over Britain. He was very fond of the boy. They've constantly met up in the same area for a few weeks before the boy disappeared. Arthur thought maybe he got adopted by someone and couldn't get back to the usual meeting place. He'd gotten rather attached but since the boy found a new home, he was glad. He never thought he would remember it in such an awkward situation. He averted his gaze on the wheat-head to a spot on the carpeted floor near him.

"Yo, dude? You alright?" The shadow on the ground moved to cover the spot he was spacing out at. That snapped Arthur out of his thoughts. He turned to face the owner of the looming shadow and found him too close for comfort. Arthur stumbled a few steps back to regain lost personal space. "Yes, I'm alright and you're coming too close. Back up a little, will you?" His lips pressed firmly into a slight frown. He wasn't comfortable with anyone invading his circle of personal space, even his brothers.

Then, hands jolted up and grabbed the sides of Arthur's head. The blonde's shoulders tensed up and his pupils widened in surprise. He stepped back in response however, he was held in place by the firm grasp. Fear began coursing through the future Queen's veins and adrenaline raced across his entire body. What was this person going to do? Is he going to hurt him? Arthur gritted his teeth and attempted to look away from the sapphire eyes that are boring into his. He eventually had his eyes shut trying to brace himself for anything at all. His own fingers gripped tightly onto the forearms of the young King, adding some sort of pressure in hopes of making the other releasing him. The taller of the two frowned at the situation. Alfred had never seen someone so resistive to his inspection. It was the normal procedure here to check if the patient was alright. Now that Arthur had his eyes closed, Alfred couldn't see anything that would show symptoms. He didn't know if it works elsewhere but in Spades, one could tell the illness from the symptoms shown through the eyes. Alfred puffed up his cheeks in slight annoyance. "Open your eyes, Arthur."

"Open your eyes, I'm not gonna' hurt you." He prompted again reassuring Arthur. Slowly, Arthur's eyes fluttered open though eye contact between the two of them was still avoided. "Dude, how hard is it to get you to look straight at me? Am I that scary? Or am I too hot and sexy that you'd get embarrassed just by looking?" Alfred wriggled his eyebrows at Arthur. That only made the latter roll his eyes in annoyance. Shifty eyes finally met with stern spectacled ones. Alfred felt himself getting pulled into those deep shades of green. They were almost similar to the forests he used to play in. Similar to the person he met when he was a kid. And at the same time, Arthur couldn't help but feel the same about those beautiful shades of blue. It reminded him of the lake he used to stare at for inspiration and relaxation. He'd say Alfred's eyes matched the skies but it wasn't often one would see a clear blue sky in England. Unknowingly, both figures leaned in closer as if there were a force pushing them forward, as if in a trance that had them trapped. Closer, mere inches apart…

"Erhem… Am I interrupting something aru?" The black haired royalty cleared his throat. The sudden voice jolted both of them from the apparent trance. Yao watched as two pairs of pupils widened in shock while the figures stumbled back away from each other. He looked at the King trying to regain his composure with a small blush across his face. Then he looked towards the future Queen clutching the cloth over his chest seemingly lost in thoughts and seemingly a little shaken. "Ahahaha! You're funny! What could you be interrupting? There's nothing at all! Hahahah!" Alfred attempted to laugh the matter off nervously. Eventually the laughter died down and was replaced by shifting gazes and a slender finger scratching the side of his face. "Anyway, you rushed out a while ago after I introduced Arthur. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong aru. I brought someone to verify something. Prince Matthew if you please." A shy boy with honey brown, a little past shoulder length hair appeared from behind the Jack. A dangling strand of hair longer than the others stuck out of his parting. He looked so similar to Alfred. If Arthur didn't look carefully, he'd have thought they were the same person. The only distinguishing factors were their hair length, eye colour and maybe their personality. "Hello your Majesty, I'm Matthew Williams, Princely Lord of Spades. I'm Alfred's elder twin." A timid hand gestured a welcome-handshake. Arthur reached out his own and gave it a firm shake. "Pleasure to meet you Prince Matthew." A smile developed on the twin's face. "You're exactly like my mother said." Two pairs of eyes concentrated on him interested and surprised by what the noble said. The Jack simply stood there, consciously listening.

A genuine laugh from the quiet boy earned him confused looks from both the King and the Queen-to-be. "A few weeks before the Queen of Spades die, they would be able to foresee the future Queen's characteristics. It's the same with all the royalties, the clocks merely confirms the candidate. Based on that, the lords, nobles will begin searching by batch of people for the new Queen. Hadn't you realized that those people you've inspected have similar characteristics, Alfred?" A quick nod was the answer. "The dying Queen usually writes down what she sees in her visions and passes on to someone she can trust to bring the correct Queen to court. I didn't understand what mother meant when she said, "He comes from another world." But now I do. You really came from another world." The blonde was at a loss of words. What the Prince meant to say was his life was already destined to be like this. He was fated to come to this world and rule this Kingdom. That also meant his life back in London was a deplorable lie and that this life is the shocking truth. His world began to spin. Arthur staggered for a few steps trying to gain balance. His body swayed a little sideways. The magnitude of the dizziness and headache from when he first arrived in this world began amplifying. His eyelids squeezed shut endeavoring to screen out the escalating pain. The next thing Arthur knew was crumbling into someone's arms and blacking out immediately.

When he finally awoke, he almost cried out in joy saying, "Thank god! I'm home. It's just a dream!" But when he looked around carefully, it doesn't look like his bedroom or his research room in the university. He let out a solemn sigh, throwing his head backwards in defeat. His gaze lingered at the unfamiliar blue ceiling. "I see… It's not a dream…" He lifted his arm outstretched to an upward direction, curling his fingers slightly. Arthur leaned his head against the bed's headrest and laid his forearm against forehead. He rested his eyes, retracing back what had happened. He had collapsed amidst a conversation. Was the information too much for him to absorb? Ahh, but the headache started when he first met Alfred in the garden beside the tombstones. It got worse during the unofficial tour and the git's constant blabbering. What caused it? Nonetheless, it was a definitely terrifying experience for someone who had never fainted before, not that he recalled anyway. What a terrible feeling it was, similar to that one time he got drunk with his brothers. They had to get bailed out by his Danish friend. He was so apologetic and embarrassed about troubling him as well as the innocent public.

The door creaked opened slowly and a shuffle of feet against the floor came along with it. "Oh! You're awake! You scared the crap outta' me back there!" The 'American's' statement made Arthur's cheek twitch in response. He didn't have to open his eyes to know who it was. With that said, well, anyone would know the owner. A familiar sensation began to form within his head. He pinched the bridge of his nose in attempts to ease the upcoming headache, however, it kept increasing in magnitude. To Alfred, the scene was frightening. He witnessed Arthur's body jolted forward, hands gripping the sides of his head, jaws locked in tensed grit and facial features wringed together. He heard Arthur's breaths change in tempo and contained groans of pain breaking loose. Yet, there was nothing he could do to help. Matthew said that Arthur was going through a phase all Queens would: amassing magic from nature and making it their own; even though they were completely unaware of it. Another condition was that the other two royalties were forbidden to have any contact with them in this phase. That meant Alfred could only watch the other suffer the excruciating pain. Words of comfort seemed useless and trapped within his throat. His lips drew into a downward curve while frowning and his hands gripped into tight balls by his side. He had to resist the urge to hug his Queen protectively saying it'd all be alright. His mind wondered to how his mother survived this pain.

A loud thud sounded as Arthur's body fell limp against the mattress. Beads of perspiration lingered for a while before sliding down the sides of his head. His already pale complex seemed a tone paler. Alfred made his way around the bed. He sat down on the space near the edge. His eyes roamed the smaller figure, watching the evening rise and fall of the other's chest. His hand moved to stroke Arthur's hair. It felt soft but a little wet from the ordeal. He recalled how his mother used to make the pain disappear whenever she does that. The young lad had hoped it'd let the other find comfort and rest again. Forest green eyes opened half-lidded. The colour, Alfred noted, was a little duller than they were back in the garden. The soothing caress seemed to make Arthur feel better and more relaxed. He very nearly drifted back to sleep before…

"I told you he'd be here. And it seems like our Queen has awoken as well aru." The Jack ushered the company into the room before closing the door behind him. Arthur propped himself up on one elbow with much effort before getting lifted to sit upright by Alfred. He vaguely made out the people in the room at that moment – his eyes were still blur from the headache. Alfred looked on from the side of the bed as an old noble stepped forward. "Your Majesty, your condition is normal. It is experienced by all the other Queens in the history of Spades. You are merely absorbing magic from nature and changing it into your own. Past Queens have been known for their pool of magic spells that led us to countless victories. This condition will last for a few days depending on your body. I hope you understand that the Jack and King are not supposed to come in contact with you during the trance. But you have to remember you are not alone. We have brought you some medicine that may help reduce your pain." He gestured for the accompanying servant to serve the fancy bowl of black soup. Even if Arthur couldn't see what was in it, he very well could smell the bitter herbs used. His nose wringed in dismay as it took in the scent. "What in the world is that _thing_ you're about to make me drink?"

"It's Chinese herbs not poison, ahen. An old saying goes like 'Bitter medicine is good for illnesses; bitter advices are good for behavior.' So drink it all up." The bowl was taken over by the Jack and shoved close to his mouth. Arthur could feel tears filling his eyes as he was force fed that horrible tasting thing. The said liquid travelled down his throat. He could've sworn it burnt his insides as it moved. Though, it did sort of work, his head doesn't feel like spinning any longer while his vision cleared up after blinking some tears away. He was greeted visually by five others in the room: the King, the Jack, the Prince, a weird old man and a young maid. His eyes than wondered off to checking his surroundings: beautifully garnished room, an English flavor to the style. He liked it. It made him think of home. A small smile formed on the Englishman's face: a small signal that Alfred picked up thinking he liked the room. He was glad Arthur did. It was his mother's old study room. If he didn't like it, everything here had to be moved – the one thing Alfred would prevent from happening.

"I hope you're feeling better, your Majesty. We have your schedule planned out for this month. Your coronation ceremony would be held in a month's time. Thanks to that you've bought us a month to settle the negotiations or prepare of war." The old noble stated. Two claps echoed the entire room and the door opened. A group of servants appeared led by a well-dressed lady. "Allow me to introduce, your Majesty. This is Wan Mei, your lady-in-waiting." She was another Asian so Arthur thought she might be related to the Jack. Well, the annoyed look on the Jack's face confirmed that. Her slight brownish hair was neat and in place except for a particular curl that seemed to hang from the top of her head. A little Epsilon shape near the bottom of the curl added to her sweet look. Something he very nearly got fooled for. He let out a sigh. The little flashback occupied his mind for quite a while. This break time was rare, he'd better treasure it rather than let his mind run.

"Artie? Arthur? You listening?" A hand waved inches in front of Arthur's face. A few blinks ensued before his head jerked back to a comfortable distance. "You're zoning, man. Didn't your headaches stopped a few days ago." A worried look spread over Alfred's face. A prompt shake of his head gave his answer. "I'm fine. Thank you for asking." He quickly dismissed the worry.

"Well then, I will be taking my leave, ahen." The raven haired royalty stood from across the table and bowed before walking towards the door. "So will I. I'll see you at dinner tonight, Artie. Not forgetting the dance session after dinner!" A huge grin plastered on the wheat-head's face before he turned to join the other royalty outside the opened doors. The corners of Arthur's lips tugged a little upwards while having another sip of tea.

"Silly idiot…" He muttered before getting back to his mountains of books.

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><p><strong>Footnote:<strong> In case you're wondering if Alfred's married to his mom (Marital status linkage for King and Queen), the answer is no. Why? It's because in Spades, so long as the King and Queen are related by blood, there is no need for marriage. It is considered that trust in each other is enough to run the Kingdom. Marriage of non blood-related Kings and Queens is to promote the same trust that hopefully wouldn't shatter in the long run by using the power of love. Alfred is trying to achieve that with Arthur. This would be mentioned again in later chapters.

I hope this is a enjoyable pre-christmas gift to all Hetalia (US/UK) fans. Happy holidays, Merry Christmas in advance! Santa Claus is coming to town~~


	5. World of Four, Part I

**Numbers of his Life**

Story by: _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Summary:** Time is what chooses the royalties of Spade and the same Time chose Arthur in the 21st century universe as Queen. Will this Prof survive in that universe? Cardverse!AU USUK and other possible pairings.

**Author's note:** Hello from a long M.I.A! I was overseas for the holidays and school started. Probably gonna go on another M.I.A again since I'm cooped up by school. I realised Chapter 4 has overshot my chapter word number limit so I'm breaking it down into parts. I guess you could see my chapter names are implicative of what ideas I'm introducing. Special thanks to _Captain Arthur Kirkland_ for the review ;)

Enjoy Chapter 4 part I, pardon for the paragraphing again. I do hope to publish a bit more often. :/

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 4: World of Four <em>**

**_Part I: Pre-Coronation Blues_**

It was a bright and sunny day. The key word was 'was'. One can only say the sky was pouring. Fingers fumbled awkwardly with each other while palms got sweaty. Arthur's heartbeat is racing. At that moment, he didn't know if he was nervous because of the coronation or was it caused by the many servants, nobles scurrying around in the last preparations of the ceremony. All he knew was the rain was certainly not very welcomed. It messed up most of the preparations and delayed many scheduled items. Perhaps the cold weather also made his hands cold and made his body fidget about. The palace needed all the manpower it had so Arthur was left alone in the dressing room after his clothes were fitted. He could hear loud footsteps merging and resonating outside his door.

He had to wait till his lady-in-waiting came over to get him for the actual ceremony. It was like a royal wedding like the recent one he saw down Downing Street. He and his brothers got invited to a street party by an old English colleague to their parents who had known them all their lives. He was thankful to have witness the drive-pass of the newlywed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It was something he wouldn't have been able to see first-hand if he stayed back at home on Prince Arthur Road. He swore it was coincidental. Before he bought that apartment, his brothers would joke if he had been a Prince, he wouldn't need to buy it; it would have belonged to him naturally. Up till today, his brothers would still bring it up every now and then to piss him off. _"Idiotic brothers…" _He rolled his eyes at that thought. He couldn't imagine what it'd be like if he told them he was to be named Queen. A sigh escaped his lips.

"Whatever made my beautiful Queen sigh?"

Arthur whipped his head toward the source. A stunning man stood at the door. A cerulean suit jacket, double-breasted with two neat columns of silver round buttons covered over a midnight blue stand collar shirt. The borders were designed with a classy flavor – embroidery highlighting the edge of the jacket breaking into slight swirls where the notched lapels started. The same design was for the inner shirt except the embroidery on both edges of the shirt met in the middle. Two elliptical shapes, one mildly bigger than the other and symmetrical on both sides of the shirt, branched out from the middle of the stand collar. The right shoulder of the outer jacket had something akin to an epaulette sewn onto it. The material of the epaulette looked similar to a cross between the elegance of silk and the sophisticated feel of platinum. The extended fabric fringe fell smartly in place against his right shoulder while the gold coloured shoulder cords tuck neatly to his sides. An obsidian cape rested on the left shoulder adorned with a beautiful sapphire gem as its anchoring point.

A black cord held the cape in place spanning across the chest, twirling around the Spade-shaped gem while tucking underneath the epaulette on the other shoulder. The gem, Arthur noted, sat above the buttonhole intended to hold a boutonniere. Perhaps it was just a way this world's royal suits were designed. He'd say he liked the design quite a bit. The bottom half was rather simple but stylish: two lines of the same needlework ran down the sides of each leg of the dark dress pants. A pair of reflective black leather shoes to top the grand royal look off.

Then, he realized, their shirts for the ceremony matched. His own attire was of a similar set-up. The only differences were the design. His suit jacket was carmine in colour. The front ended near the waist level in a upward triangle cut while the back extended into swallow tails like that of a tuxedo. The cutting revealed a little of the white waistcoat underneath sitting comfortably above the belted waistline of the dark dress pants. Silver woven edges ran a circumference around the stand-collared jacket and met in the middle, just beneath Arthur's chin. The lines then split into two paths down his chest – one following the overlapping perimeter of the double breasted design while the other ran in opposite and symmetrical direction. His buttons were linked by leather braided cords.

Arthur thought it was an intelligent idea as the horizontal outline made him look 'bigger' and less 'scrawny' – in Alfred's words. The lines then form a vague hexagonal shape, enclosing all the buttons within. The partition of the jacket was made to end in the middle extending from the hexagon and joining the upward cut. His gem was a brilliant ruby in place of the sapphire while his collar was decorated with three free swirls outwards and a loop inwards, equally beautiful on both sides.

"It's nothing, you should concern yourself with." Arthur let out another sigh while giving his eyes a little rest from the stunning sight he just saw.

"Aww, com'on I'm about to be your husband! And wives shouldn't keep secrets from their husbands!"

He could feel his right cheek twitch in rhythm. "I'm a guy. I'm not your wife. If anything at all, I'm your husband, you git. With that said, it's not really a secret or something important that you really have to know." He stated.

"If it's not a secret then tell me. I _want_ to know." The young King persisted.

"It's just.. My brothers always teases me about the road my apartment is on." A slender brow raised in question. "It's called Prince Arthur Road. God, I can imagine them rolling in laughter when I tell them about this." He rolled his eyes in great annoyance. A momentary silence enveloped the two. Arthur sneaked peeks at his company. The lack of response made him rather curious. Then, he swore he shouldn't have been concerned.

"Bwahahahaha! Oh god, the mental image is crazy man! Dude, do your brothers have thick eyebrows like you? If they run in the family, our children would get them too!" The sheepish laughter ceased immediately when Alfred found a pair of eyes glinting dangerously at him. He looked away shyly while saying, "Well.. Erm, your brows are sexy, babe. I could stare at them all day and be in a lovely daze thinking about them." He once again earned himself a look, something that said, _"Why do I find it hard to believe what you're saying?"_ Alfred was trying hard getting on the good side of Arthur but damn, he was so amusing to tease. Honestly, it was fun and all, but he was sure it was the truth; though a different part of Arthur's body – his gorgeous eyes.

"Again you seem to have forgotten that I'm male. I can't produce children, neither can you. And sweet-talking is not going to get you anywhere. Though, I'd say, nice try." A satisfactory smirk found its way onto the blonde's face. Alfred sulked in defeat before he turned and look outside the rain-stained window to recollect his thoughts. He came in here for a purpose. He needed to let Arthur know he's apologetic about everything. The new clueless Queen had more than enough to worry about, now he'd been dragged along all the emotional hurdles Alfred had to face. The rain was not getting lighter anytime soon and the ceremony was hours away. If Alfred had told Arthur the truth, about how he felt, would he still stay? Would he still fight along him? He needed answers, answers straight from the other's mouth.

"Hey Arthur,"A little stammer shook his voice while he started. "I.. If I told you, I'm marrying you for the sake of the Kingdom and not for love, would you despise me? If I told you, I'm just toying with your feelings, would you hate me?" He kept his gaze on the ground and his lips drew into a thin line. _"Because I think you should."_ He thought. Remorse was what he was feeling now. He'd told his mother he was a man of heart not strength, and his heart tells him now, Arthur needs to know the truth. Alfred couldn't let go of the past and the death of his parents. He knew no matter how much he tried, he couldn't abandon them and hold the new Queen in the same emotion-filled embrace. Frankly, his mind was void of spaces for a new person to enter. Yet, he didn't want this relationship to be false. He didn't want to be unfair to Arthur. He wanted to fall in love naturally, not like how intentional his advances were in the last month.

"I've thought over it long and hard and I really want you to have the choice. The freedom to choose to stay, be married to a man you barely know and not get bound to this world that you don't belong or to leave and find a way to get back to your world." Alfred bit his lower lip as he uttered those words. He felt hurtful for both himself and for Arthur.

"Is there a rule that said I can't manage both? From what I know, there seem to be no such rule." A firm reply sounded from the other. "There's no way right now I could get home so I don't see a reason not to stay. You seem pretty confident that I won't fall for you and otherwise. What makes you so sure?"

"Well, I thought for someone who was forced to accept all this, you would feel resentful and stuff. Or you would, I don't know, fight your way to get the ending you want? Or on the bright side it may end up like a kismesis!"

Arthur gave a small chuckle at the use of that urban word.

"You really are an idiot. You can't be helped, can you?" Arthur's lips curved into a musing smile. "There's nothing I could do and I already know that. If I'm going to fall in love with you, so be it. If not, we're not fated to be. That's all fine and I know perfectly that your Kingdom needs me so I'm not about to run away crying about you mistreating and playing with my feelings." His expressions softened and his gaze fell upon the mirror on his dressing table. The reflection showed how taken aback the young King was. It was rather annoying to see the latter so surprised. What sort of man did he think Arthur was? "Frankly, the only one you're lying to is yourself. Whatever that is in your mind that's keeping you back, I can only say time will help you forget and allow you to proceed."

"You… You saw through my facade? But, but how?" Azure eyes widened a little in realization.

"I tend to observe… _Behavior and actions_. You could say that was how I found out. I may be a history major but I'm also interested in psychology when I was in college." He casted a glance towards Alfred who wore a confused look on his face. "Ahh nevermind, but yes, the next time you lie, do it more convincingly. It might help us win a war if we ever got caught as prisoners." Arthur mused, in hopes of lifting up the atmosphere.

"Thank you." A brilliant smile spread across the King's face. The smile seemed to reach down and touch Arthur's heart. It felt warm and lovely. A similar smile was mirrored on Arthur's face. Silence settled comfortably between the pair. There seemed to be a mutual understanding between the two. No exchange of words was needed. Alfred reached his hand out and took Arthur's into his own. His thumb brushed against the other's fingers. The same smile lingered on both their faces.

"Friends?" The Brit uttered.

"Best friends."

The taller of the two replied with his trademark grin. Arthur put his hand over Alfred's, reassuring his decision. Trust was a funny thing, Arthur thought. The more you tried to forcibly gain trust from someone, the more you fail; yet, very much the opposite, when feelings come into play. The unconditional belief in someone and the entrusting yourself to the whim of someone didn't come naturally for most. But for the person standing in front of him, trust seemed only ordinary, not much effort was needed. Perhaps it was a rule for the King to put unreserved faith in his new Queen. Arthur shook off the thought. It was a good feeling to indulge in.

"Erhem.." Someone cleared his throat. "I know you lovebirds cannot spend a second apart but the groom is not supposed to see his bride before the wedding aru. And you know that Alfred." Yao crossed his arms, displeased. A few giggles came from the servant maids behind the Jack. "Please refrain from touching each other and crumpling those suits you're wearing. They are of utmost importance in presenting your graciousness and our Kingdom's formality."

_"Touching each other and crumpling those suits…"_ The soon-to-be-wed pair thought simultaneously at the phrase. Both of them went pink at the thoughts that ran wild. The once connective touch became pretty uncomfortable. Alfred had his hands raised by the side in defense while Arthur dropped his hands to his sides and averting his line of vision onto the flooring beside him. When the latter's mind cleared, he felt a tinge of frustration arising at particular words in the statement from the loyal Jack. "What bride? I'm also a groom for god's sake. When you tell me Queens are mere positions undistinguished by gender, why the hell do you keep mixing my gender up? Which part of me is feminine?"

The room grew silent. The blonde inhaled deep breaths to even out his breathing. Just when he thought there were no second opinions that he was a true man (gentleman), a voice from beside him stated, "Well, if I were to say something, I'd say your hobbies are definitely feminine. With that said, you're pretty much the same with every other Queen in history. I'll remind you only one out of the six past Queens is male and that's the very first one, I guess it'd rather hard to adapt to the honorifics. So you can't blame them Artie! Besides, I mistook your gender all-oof."

An acute sensation of pain stretched across his abs. His body arched to the impact of the action. He had grown used to the feeling and numbness which ensued. He swore if one of these day he was found dead in his room, the murderer must be his dear Queen. Since Arthur got hold of the vast magic spells available in this world from the Spades royal library and mastered close-range combatant skills from Yao, Alfred was practically at his mercy. With that said though, Alfred could still easily overpower him; Confundus spells didn't seem to work on him and his dense head, and Constringo spells, well, he didn't have to say more. The man just breaks through the magical vines like they were thread. The only way, Arthur noted, was to catch his King off guard. That came pretty easily since 'guard' was non-existent when Alfred was around him. The Brit reached out his hand in attempt to stablise the stumbling man as the other pressed his hand onto his abdomen to ease the pain.

"Argh… I guess I probably have a higher chance of getting killed by my Queen than on the battlefield, ahahaha…" The wheat-head straightened himself while nervously laughing the matter off. A shuffling sound of fingers brushing against clothes and a tug right in front of him made him focus on the sudden movement. His Queen-to-be was straightening his shirt for him, making sure he looked presentable after that 'assault'. A gentle caress across his vest, a small gesture of goodwill, well, that was all he needed for now. "Serves you right." Arthur muttered as he folded his arms across his chest. He tilted his head away from his King at angle accompanying his semi-irritated state. One of these days, he'd accidentally-on-purpose murder the airhead for the stupid things he did.

"Your Majesty, you shouldn't be here. The Jack and the officials were running all over the palace searching for you. The Queen's crown and heirloom have been safely transported. Nobles of the Kingdom and honorable guests from other Kingdoms have already assembled at the ceremonial hall. I have received word that the respective royalties have also arrived." The young lady-in-waiting informed all three monarchs of the situation as her assistant scurried off.

"You should get going, Your Majesty." Arthur gave Alfred a pat on the shoulder with a formal and serious look. "Don't keep them waiting."

"You too, don't keep me waiting, my Queen." He winked and blew a flying kiss in the other's direction. The Englishman let out a long breath that he'd been holding while his lips curled up into a silly smile. He'd fallen in love with his exotic King's heart-rending smile. And the tosser managed to make him smile so many times in a day for the past month. It was a definite change in personality for him, not to mention a change in lifestyle. It was perhaps a good change after all. There are people to love him, people who need him and people to love..? His heart skipped a beat as he realized the thought. "I shouldn't. I have to go back to my world someday… Starting something knowing that it would end soon, it's not like me at all." He sighed as his eyelids fell shut in disappointment. All Arthur needed to focus on now, was to fight this war and win it. Then make sure this kingdom can stablise itself, what should come after was his farewell.

He heaved a breath before proceeding towards the wet balcony. The pouring rain reduced to a light drizzle from the time spent with his King. It was a good sign. A bright sunny day would usually ensue after a storm and it would be less of an omen when he succeeded the throne. The non-believers had made a fuss out of how he wasn't suited for the position, how misery would befall upon the Kingdom and rude words of how Arthur would bring disaster to everyone. Refusing to listen to all that, Alfred stood protectively in front of Arthur, without a word. The firm stance and those fierce eyes dismissed second opinions of Arthur's eligibility. Uncertainty, a word he'd been so familiar with ever since he arrived in this world. His well-planned life had been disrupted by this sudden event. He figured that at the end of this episode of his life, he would grow too attached to this world to think about leaving. Perhaps a magic spell someone casted misled him, perhaps it was the magic of adaptation. Perhaps like Alfred said when they first met, he'd willingly stay.

"It's time to leave for the ceremonial hall, Your Majesty."

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><p><strong>Footnote:<strong> In case you're wondering, this world has everything our world does except it's probably in the 17th/18th century kinda era though the setting is pretty medieval. The next part of the chapter is probably the wedding and the dinner+dance - something pretty much every author would write about after. I do hope I do a good job! The dinner and dance is the part where Arthur finally meets and greets all the other monarchs of 'neighbouring' kingdoms. I'm making Arthur and Alfred agree to a small pact of partnership and not love at first. A little change of mind when I found that it was going too fast in the falling in love part. Nonetheless I hope you enjoyed this part of the story. See you the next time I publish!


	6. World of Four, Part II

**Numbers of his Life**

Story by: _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Summary:** Time is what chooses the royalties of Spade and the same Time chose Arthur in the 21st century universe as Queen. Will this Prof survive in that universe? Cardverse!AU USUK and other possible pairings.

**Author's note:** Hello from another long M.I.A! I swear my school is murdering me. Four tests every week is not fun T_T. Special thanks to hexa, Sebastian's Servant Felicia and my awesome friend, OldNewLife for the reviews! Took me so so so long to write this... Anyway, enjoy part II of chapter 4! Until the next time, toodles!

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 4: World of Four<em>**

**_Part II: Coronation Ceremony_**

The light drizzle outside began to stop. The grey clouds were shifting apart revealing a clear, blue sky. Bright beams of light found its way through and lit the once gloomy palace. Arthur gazed at the beautiful shade of blue – the same as the eyes of his soon-to-be spouse. It then reminded him of his jovial attitude, trademark grin. It honestly made him smile.

"Your Majesty?" The voice questioned once more. Light taps of mildly rhythmic footsteps sounded from behind the lady.

"We're here to escort you, Your Grace." A man fully clad in knight's armor from head to toe got down on one knee. The red feather sticking out of his helmet fell forward as the man bowed respectfully. The Brit clicked the boots of his heels, hands trying to free the long coat from getting entangled in the turn. "Please lead the way."

Each footstep closer to the ceremonial hall was a footstep closer to sinking into this world. Each footstep down the corridor was a footstep closer to Alfred and this upcoming war. Each breath he drew became longer to ease the jitters he was now facing. Each blink of his eyes made memories of his twenty three years of life flash across his mind and how he had to put them aside from now on. Each moment that passed dragged on for too long. Arthur gritted his teeth in frustration as his fists gripped tightly onto the sides of his pants. He was careful not to leave and creases on it though – a kingdom's dignity was at stake.

The trio consisting of the Captain of Royal Honour Knights, his lady-in-waiting and him came to a halt in front of the door while two neat lines of seven knights each, fully clad in their armors stationed a couple of feet away from them. The clicking, clanking of the armor and the uniform trot of the troupe during the walk got stuck inside Arthur's mind. The environment was quiet and calm but not his heart. A light tap landed on his shoulder. Arthur jumped a little before regaining his composure.

"Relax, Your Majesty." A genuine smile which radiated warmth formed on his usually strict royal attendee's face. A little crease formed between his eyebrows as he frowned at himself, disappointed at losing his usual equanimity. "You'd do great, Your Grace." A similar smile was mirrored on the visible half of the Knight's face. Encouragement and support felt immensely comforting to hear. All Arthur had heard through the month were whispers and rumors about him. At least now, he knew the two people constantly by his side, other than the King and Jack, were the ones he could rely on. He felt relieved. It was like someone lifted that huge weight which was crushing onto his chest. He took the hands of both of them and gave them a tiny squeeze. His lips then curled up naturally. His smile at that point was one of feeling moved and glad for their faith in him. That smile morphed into a brilliant grin.

"Thank you."

A heartfelt sentence that made both his trustees' heart clenched in response. The thoughts going through their minds at that point were "I'm glad that he's our Queen," coincidentally. Being a Kingdom with its name synonymous with War, Spades had always believed that peace could only be achieved from conflict – an abstract concept that many misinterpreted. The fourth King and fifth Queen were murdered through a dark conspiracy born from such a twist in belief. The Kingdom needed a legitimate reason for starting or participating in a war. Nobles, lords, anyone with dark, contorted intentions, would manipulate the ideals of the court and royalty into one that was pro-war. And when the Kingdoms were at war, people suffered tremendously on either side. Families, friends, everyone important to anyone were lost. Those wars bred vengeance and hatred, throwing the world of Trumps into an unavoidable and vicious cycle. A war to end war – it was exactly like the World War which he'd extensively studied. Arthur disliked the idea, however hopeful it sounded.

Soothing music started to seep through the thick oak doors. It was a cue for the blonde to get ready to walk in composed and elegant. The first pair from the Honour guards unit behind him got to their positions by the door. Their hands nestled on the rose-decorated, gold handles. Arthur took in a few deep breaths to recollect himself. He couldn't help but feel his fingers getting a little cold and his palm a tiny bit sweaty through his white gloves. This rush of adrenaline through his veins made him feel uneasy yet ecstatic. _"Alright, calm down, Arthur. Just follow what was rehearsed, you can do it."_ He thought closing his eyes and giving small nods to reassure himself as he held the wedding bouquet received some moments earlier from his attendee.

Beams of light shone through the small gap as the doors clicked open. The intensity increased as the doors parted wider to a full open. The Queen-to-be opened his eyes to a gorgeous hall. Sunlight was piercing through the painted Cathedral windows. Soft tones and hues of different colours merged as the light hit the ground. Two neat rows of pews with synchronized decorations of fresh blue roses, white laces and silk ribbons marked the sapphire-carpeted aisle. Many heads turned as the guests rose from their seats with respect, showing the delight of his arrival. The attention of the entire hall was on him. Arthur kept a straight face. He had his eyes fixated at one spot – at the end of the brilliant aisle, in front of the Jack and the priest, stood the grinning idiot. It seemed to help him calm himself down. The sides of his lips tugged into a graceful smile. The captain marched sternly a few steps away from him while his royal assistant was pacing her steps in sync with the captain.

As soon as they reached the distance to do a bow and curtsey to their King and Jack, both of them stationed themselves there. Arthur could've sworn how tempted he was to give a loud huff of breath when he finally stood in front of the altar. Alfred took Arthur's hand into his and gave the latter a gentle squeeze, as though telling him he's doing great. The King leaned over and whispered in Arthur's ear, "You look beautiful." The Englishman felt heat rising on his cheeks and around his neck while he stared surprised at the blue-eyed man. "You daft." He blurted out softly as his gaze shifted to the side. Alfred suppressed a snigger forcibly. The head of the Kingdom shouldn't embarrass himself especially on such an important date! Both Alfred and Arthur's attention focused on the priest behind the altar as the Jack cleared his throat audibly.

"Dear noble guests, friends, family, we have all come together to witness King Alfred and Queen Arthur's wedding ceremony as well as crowning ceremony. In the Bible, Paul wrote about love in its own way in his 1st book of letters to Corinthians Chapter 13. It states that love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love hears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away." The priest paused for a moment before getting interrupted.

"For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So no faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." Their eyes met when the verse was voiced out by Alfred. It felt so natural. Alfred's mouth and voice moved on its own. He didn't mean to disrupt the priest's verse readings. Oh crap…

"Yes, Your Majesty. Before I carry on the ceremony, is there anyone who object to the merging of the lives of this young couple. If there is, please voice your objections out now." A few murmurs and whispers came from the audience as people looked around checking if there was anyone objecting at all. Both Arthur and Alfred had their jaws locked in a grit in this sheer wave of anxiety.

"Well then, we shall proceed on with the exchange of vows. Please repeat after me, Your Majesty. Today, I, Alfred F. Jones, join my life to yours, not merely as your husband, but as your friend, your lover, and your confidant. With you I will walk my path from this day forward." The priest read what was on the paper while trying to keep a straight face.

"I, Alfred F. Jones, join my life to yours, not merely as your husband, but as your friend, your lover, and your confidant. Let me be the shoulder you lean on, the rock on which you rest, the companion of your life. With you I will walk my path from this day forward. We shall stride towards a better future for the both of us and for the Kingdom. Let me be the only one to love and care for you forever." The owner of the voice held a lingering gaze at his spouse-to-be. Those mushy words sent chills down Arthur's spine while that immensely emotional stare made him feel rather unnerving though in a good way. The taller of the pair managed to sneak a few additional sentences into the vow and made it sound so cheesy. It was convincing enough for the guests of foreign Kingdoms to believe though, he thought.

"Please repeat after me, Your Grace. Alfred F. Jones, you have filled my world with meaning. You have made me so happy and more fulfilled as a person. Thank you for taking me as I am; loving me, and welcoming me into your heart. I promise to always love you, respect you as an individual, and to be faithful to you forever. Today I, Arthur Kirkland, choose you to be my life partner, and commit myself to you for the rest of my life."

"Alfred, you have filled my world with meaning. You have made me so happy and more fulfilled as a person. Thank you for taking me as I am; loving me, and welcoming me into your heart. I used to be afraid of falling in love, of giving my heart away. How could I trust anyone to love me, to give me all that I wanted to give to them. I gave up until I met you. I realized how much we could share together. You have renewed my life. I promise to always love you, respect you as an individual, and to be faithful to you forever. Today, I, Arthur Kirkland, choose you to be my life partner, and commit myself to you for the rest of my life. Today, I'll join that life with yours." Arthur did his own improvising. He did his part of the wordless pact in showing they were a loving couple. Feelings he had now was perhaps part of an illusion he was seeing.

"The wedding ring symbolizes unity, an unbroken circle of which this marriage shall proceed. These rings emphasize the undying flame of love both King Alfred and Queen Arthur share. Today marks the confirmation of their vows made towards each other and the beginning of the royal couple's reign in Spadian history. May the Lord bless these rings and this merry couple happiness and joy. Your Majesty, in placing this ring on His Grace's finger, please recite your pledge to him."

"Arthur, this ring I give you as my personal gift and promise of love, trust and pride that you are my husband, my better half, my entire world. We'll wear these rings and show them off proudly so the world will know that you're mine and mine only and vice versa." Alfred slipped the metallic band decorated with unique cuts of increasing carats of sapphire arranged into an elegant rose that wasn't too protruding out, into Arthur's slender finger. The ring was something small yet stylish, complimenting the Queen's grace and grandeur. Small creases form on the leather glove as the ring sits comfortably on the Queen's finger. A genuine smile remained on the Spade King's face.

"Your Grace, after placing the ring on His Majesty's finger, please state your pledge to him." The priest said.

"What have I to give you, Alfred? The promise to take you as my one and only love from this day forward, to stand by your side, to listen when you speak, to comfort you when you cry, and to join your laughter with my own. A promise to love you with all I've got; the promise of a lifetime. Now, take this ring, and be my husband." Arthur mirrored the smile, taking Alfred's hands into his. He slipped in the well designed ring with mild difficulty. It was somewhat stuck at the proximal inter-phalangeal joint of his finger. Both men were trying hard making the ring fit while at the same time doing all they can to avoid showing their difficulty. _"Grr, your fat fingers are getting in the way at such a wrong time, Alfred."_ Arthur hissed in a capped voice.

_"Excuse me? I'm not fat! I'm just nervous and muscular. My fingers just expanded, okay?"_ Alfred retorted, whispering. Sapphire gems decorated the King's ring in a similar fashion as the Queen's. The design was a little more elaborate to emphasize the magnificence of His Majesty. With one last push, the ring forcibly settled on the Spade's finger. Both of them let out a small huff of air simultaneously. A single drop of perspiration rolled down the side of Arthur's head from the anxiety induced by the ring fitting. That dreaded feeling of something disrupting the flow of a major event was horrible to anyone. But, thank goodness it was settled rather quickly.

"Until now, King Alfred and Queen Arthur have spent each moment of their lives as separate individuals. But, from this day on, and every day after shall be shared and spent as one. By the power enthroned in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband." The priest continued his part of the recitals with a little pause for breath. A musing smile took over his expressions. "You may kiss your groom."

_"Crap…" _Both men thought in unison.

This part of the ceremony was skipped most of the times during rehearsals. It had slipped off both men's minds until now. Green and blue eyes widened momentarily in disbelief of how forgetful (or stupid) they were while mentally condemning their souls for such a misdeed. Slender brows slid into a frown. A pair of lips parted slightly to mouth words that weren't forming. Both parties directed their attention towards each other, eyes shifting nervously and shyly. Arthur gripped a little tighter onto his silken and laced bouquet of blue roses for comfort. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest and feel the loud beats in his ears. He could only imagine the same for the person standing in front of him. He was sure Alfred was beginning to perspire from the strained atmosphere of anticipation.

He got snapped out of his thoughts when two warm pools of heat touched his arms. A slight pressure exerted from the grip showed how nerve-wrecked the other was in the advances made. The idiot King had his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to lean in. That ridiculous facial expression he was making made Arthur pissed. How wimpy can the man be at times like this? It wasn't like he was that bad to give a kiss to. Feeling rather annoyed by the slow motions and the awkward atmosphere, the blonde balled his fist into Alfred's cape. He made sure he grabbed a good deal of fabric before jerking the wheat-head forward to meet his lips. Arthur could feel his partner's eyes snapping open in shock as the grip on his arm loosened slightly. Surprising enough, Alfred's lips were firm and felt moist despite the chapped appearance. The Brit's eyes rolled behind his eyelids as he felt the pressure on his arms coming back on. A strong, unyielding return of the kiss was accompanied by wet flicks of the tongue across his lips, performing small timid requests of permission. Arthur kept his eyes half-lidded checking his King's expressions. The latter wore a more relaxed, and something akin to a satisfied look with eyes closed in delight. Arthur smiled into the kissed. He parted his lips slightly to grant access to the foreign wet muscle. He gave a low groan when he felt a tingling sensation from Alfred's touch – both down his back and across the roof of his mouth. He felt himself getting pressed against his newly proclaimed spouse after they broke for air. Both figures fell into a protracted daze. Their minds seem to go blank as they observed the other's features. Alfred brushed a few stray strands of hair out of Arthur's face before resting his palm on the other's head. The latter leaned in to the touch while keeping his eyes locked with blue ones.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you King Alfred Kirkland-Jones and Queen Arthur Kirkland-Jones." A round of applause echoed through the whole hall as guests, nobles, royalty stood and clapped with respect and congratulations to the new couple. There were some cheering going on from the royal knights in the back row. Arthur could recognize all of them that often practice Swordsmanship and close combats with him. Alfred just laughed at the noisy bunch when they were asked to tone down their efforts of congratulating their King and Queen. The applause died off only after a few minutes when the Jack gained attention from his audience.

"We shall now proceed to the official Coronation Ceremony of our Queen, Arthur Kirkland-Jones." Yao announced wearing a serious look on his nearly porcelain face. His outfit had a little Ancient Chinese flavor to it. He wore a midnight blue top robe that ran down to knee length with long and wide-wrist sleeves. White piping lined parallel to any edges found on the robe. A pair of Celeste silken pants-robe hid under the outer layer. The middle piece of the fabric sat perfectly in between the top side of his legs. It seemed like a motif that extended from the white belt region. The design was of Spade shapes, vines, and swirly lines in black against a silver background. Two long streamers of white belt band dangled from the butterfly knot tied in front of Yao's waist. Towards the ends of the streamers were Spade shaped gems fixed into place. It was synchronized with the ribbons that held his long hair neatly in place. The entire outfit looked like a _Xuanduan_ – a formal robe that the Chinese used to wear at a Confucian ceremony, Arthur noted.

A group of people wheeled in a large clock with much effort. The hands of the clock were frozen in place even as it was transported closer to the three royalty of Spades. The Hour hand pointed to the the roman digit five, the Minute hand towards one and the Seconds hand to the nine. The giant clock looked like a priceless antique that ceased to function. The golden edges were smooth around the exterior, no scratches and apparently newly polished. Arthur could almost see his reflection on the transparent glass face of the object. A gold chain latched onto the adjustment knob at the top. After seeing how the servants spend every ounce of their energy in pushing this thing in, Arthur really didn't know how he'd receive this heirloom. That thing was so heavy even Alfred couldn't move it alone.

"The Hand of Time is the Heirloom of the Queen of Spades. It will be presented to the new Queen after his recognition by the royalty of other kingdoms as well as nobles of ours. Your Majesty, please begin your confirmation." Yao bowed and excused himself. The King trotted up the steps and held out his pocket watch high enough for everyone to see its hands. "I verify that the King's Pocket of Time has chosen Arthur to be Queen. My Queen, please touch your heirloom then carry it." Alfred said as he gestured Arthur towards the 'Hand'. Arthur reached out his shaky hand and stretched it closer to the surface of the clock. The moment the clock registered his touch, a white ripple spread throughout the object. Blue-ish hues of light began beaming up from the roman numbers and the centre of the clock. By instinct, Arthur retracted his hand protectively, shocked at what was going on. The hands of the clock began to spin wildly in circles with increasing speed and intensity. The light beams shooting out, converged and diverged several times before forming six figures up in air. The Spade King and Jack immediately recognized one of them: The previous Queen of Spades.

"Young lad, a warm welcome to you in joining the Queen's Lineage of Spades. You seem like a good bloke, keep up the good work." A rather deep voice sounded from the first figure. A mask hid his face and he was clad in a black cape. He was the first Queen of Spades, the Mystery Man as the first King referred him to. "I agree, he's a fine man indeed." The second figure chuckled softly as she moved her hands to conceal her laughter. She wore a blue silken gown and held a scepter on her right hand. She was the second Queen, a graceful and gentle person who took extreme care of her citizens. She lived a long age and remained Queen even after the third King took over. The third figure observed Arthur with a pair of menacing eyes. She stayed quiet for a while before finally voicing out, "Too scrawny, he seems weak." The short-haired girl did gain a glare from Arthur. That was when she changed her mind. "I do like that fierceness in his eyes." She smirked through that visible eye not covered by her fringe. She was covered in iron plated armor from the neck down. She died two years during her reign in the Great War while protecting her beloved Kingdom.

The fourth Queen had a fantastic grin plastered on her face. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail while having neat fringes that hanged down the sides of her face. "I like you! I can feel that you're a nice person. Treat your King well!" The bubbly female had her eyes curved in delight. Arthur noticed she had a small medieval harp hung around her left shoulder. The fifth lady dressed like a hunter. She was carrying an ornamented bow of her size and a sling-full of arrows behind her back. The leather on her was also casted with iron to strengthen its protective capabilities. "Young man, the only advice is to fight or die. Don't regret whatever you do." The last figure smiled warmly at the Brit. She looked serene in her azure gown. "I'm glad. I'm glad you're the one to inherit this position. Please take care of my son." The Englishman's eyes widened. That was his dead 'mother-in-law' floating in mid-air and talking to him. It felt a little weird and awkward. It wasn't that weird with the other dead Queens since he believed in spirits and the fact that this world had magic just meant anything was possible. Well, what he never thought was meeting Alfred's mother. _"A fine and well-groomed lady,"_ He thought. _"It was a shame she died of an illness."_

"The six of us acknowledge this free-spirited chap as the seventh Queen of Spades." The only male announced their decision. "Any objections would be denying the magic that governs our Kingdom."

"Now then, please 'clock' the Queen." With a whizz, the light-projected figures disappeared from their positions. The giant clock ceased its glowing and returned to its frozen state. The audience began to rattle with noises from the amazement. It wasn't an everyday sight to see dead Queens conversing with their citizens and current royalty of other kingdoms. It was a rumor that wasn't well received by other kingdoms or within Spades. Not many believed in the Queens' spirits being bound to the Heirloom after their death. Feeling this moment of truth was definitely a shock.

Arthur's gaze fell upon the chattering audience. His heart skipped a bit when he realized the numerous pairs of eyes seemingly mocking him. He started to get slightly jittery from the mild 'stage-fright'. Although he was a lecturing Professor back at home, he'd always had that feeling whenever he started to lecture. It'd go away once he was in familiar grounds in his field of research. His emerald eyes started to dart around his surroundings as his ears picked up every murmur and whisper. A little nudge from his side distracted him from his thoughts. "Arthur? You alright?" A worried look spread across the King's face. A shook of the head gestured that he was fine. Arthur stepped towards the giant clock, slowly and steadily. He took a deep breath before placing his hands on the object. His fingers curled against the underside while his thumbs pressed firmly on the surface.

A drop of sweat rolled down the side of his cheek as he mustered strength to lift the heirloom. It was surprisingly light. Arthur was rather shocked when the excess strength backfired a little on him, flipping the clock vertical from its original position. After pausing for a moment, he turned it to its face position to the audience. The new Queen then focused and channeled some of his magic into the clock through a tiny keyhole at its side. He and the item began to glow in a light blue hue while the hands on the latter spun in response. The hands darted about before coming to a fixed position in relation to the royal trio's location. The Hour hand pointed between four and five, the Minute hand towards six and the Seconds at eight. Arthur looked towards his king who gave him a small nod of affirmation. He went ahead to place the heirloom back on its original stand.

"You all bear witness to the magic that the very Kingdom works on. Arthur Kirkland-Jones, please kneel in recipient of your crown and the taking of The Oath." Alfred's voice projected across the hall while Arthur took his position. With a knee on the ground, Arthur focused on the wheat head. His left hand rested comfortably on his left knee, propped up in the kneel while his right fist pressed against the ground for support.

"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the People of the Kingdom of Spaces and of your Possessions and other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs?"

"I solemnly promise to do so."

"Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?"

"I will."

"Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of the Kingdom and the true profession of magic? Will you to your utmost of your power maintain in the Kingdom the beliefs established by the People?"

"All this I promise to do. I will perform and keep. Please look after me, God."

A simple yet elegant silver crown adorned with brilliant sapphires sat on royal blue cushion. Yao presented the crown reverently to Alfred. The latter then lifted the crown and set it carefully on the Brit's head. The fur lining forming a band around the base of the crown tickled the roots of Arthur's blonde hairs. The sensation was rather uncomfortable and he wasn't supposed to show it. He wore a suppressed smile as he turned to face the crowd.

Alfred took his hand and interlaced their fingers. "I, King of the Kingdom of Spades hereby, present unto you, Arthur Kirkland-Jones, your undoubted Queen of the Kingdom of Spades. Wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same?" His voice made a little echo that seemed to bounce off the ceiling. An orchestrated response was heard accompanied by bows from countrymen. "Your Grace, we pledge loyalty to you. May your leadership bring Spades to new heights."

Arthur casted weary glances across the hall – Lords, nobles, knights, commoners, merchants, they all looked menacing and suspicious. It was as if they harboured ill thoughts of seize the throne for themselves. It wasn't exactly false since the other two monarchs had warned him about the conflicted politics between different factions. For the past month, leaders of various factions had tried a diverse pool of bribery which obviously didn't work. His brows furrowed a little into a frown while having the thought of governing such a divided country when war is looming. A squeeze was felt on his hands. Arthur looked towards the source. His King had a brilliant smile plastered to his face.

"You'll do fine."

He reciprocated the smile back before resting his hand on the other's arm. Both of them looked forward to bright future they envisioned for their kingdom and took their first steps together. Applauses loudly sounded on top of cheers. Flower petals were thrown in the air to congratulate the new couple as they leave the hall. Soothing music accompanied their slow steps out. They continued down the corridors and into the beautiful royal garden where a Spade tradition was carried out. Alfred and Arthur picked two roses from the garden and tied their stalks into a knot. It signifies their marriage and how their lives are inseparable from then on. The King then places the roses into the fountain to mark the end of the ceremony.

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><p><strong>Footnote: <strong>I do apologise for being naggy and draggy and making the story go so so slow. I actually envision the story to develop quick but it seems otherwise as I write... I'd try to be less naggy in the future. :/ Wedding vows and stuff are adapted from these wonderful webpages: http:/ www. buzzle. com/ articles /wedding -ceremony -script .html and http: /www .my wedding vows .com /exchange -of -rings and Wikipedia xD.


	7. World of Four Part III

_**Numbers of his Life**_

**Story by:** _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Author's Note: **So sorry for taking so long... I'm kinda months late from the next update. I'm currently part-timing a job. Busy and tiring but I'll do my best to update! Pardon me for my draggy-ness, it's a habit I can't really quit. I'd like to thank those sticking through with me and writing reviews! I really appreciate it! I hope you enjoy this part of a chapter!

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><p><strong><em>Part III: Pleased to meet you<em>**

The Englishman watched on as the two roses fade into a purplish light in the fountain. The pair walked towards a carriage prepared for their inspection of the Kingdom. The new Queen was scheduled to visit the towns and villages in the kingdom with the King to let his citizens know of his position. That was an opportunity to also understand how his citizens were living. Arthur wouldn't give up the chance to interact with the ones his rule would affect directly. He'd heard from his servants that the economy wasn't that good recently and people's lives had been tough. He felt a need to do something for his people. He vaguely remembered great monarchs of the past who took extreme consideration for their people. They were praised for their benevolence for hundreds of years after their demise. All Arthur wanted was to be appreciated for his efforts and nothing else. He hoped he would be a good ruler, following the examples of his predecessors in time to come.

Alfred cleared his throat to get his Queen's attention. "Ok Arthur, listen to me. You're going home to Amicitia. You're an orphan here taken in by the village chief as a child. You grew up here but no one knows your existence because you're usually shy and timid. You avoid crowds and-"

"And I stay in my room most of the time practicing magic from the books my foster grandfather gives me, yes?" Arthur interrupted his partner's last minute recap. It was strange for him to have to pretend when the late Queen told her son about his 'secret'. It wasn't quite a secret anymore since the first five people he met knew about it. He sighed before continuing the story, "I met you when you visited your hometown after the demise of the late King near the boundaries of Dimension One and Two by freak chance. We talked and began writing to each other after you left. Would anyone buy this crappy story?" He raised one thick brow in question. A sly smile broke out from the King's face before he whispered, "Oh, you'll see."

His eyes narrowed at that cheeky response before looking out of small curtained window. Dimension Two was famous for its sceneries and cuisine. Arthur's heart sank a little when he remembered how good the food was. He was taught to cook something similar but it ended up slightly charred. He watched as the accompanying scenery outside the carriage change from a forest full of willows and quiet streams to a lush green meadow dotted with distant trees and clouds. The rhythmic trot of horses slowly came to a halt as a village landscape drew closer. The carriage door swung open. A man poked his head into the enclosed space and bowed. "Your Majesty, Your Grace, we've reached the Amicitia Village of Dimension Two." He retreated after another bow of respect.

Both of them got off the carriage and stepped into a warm reception by the village. Harmonious music flowed in the air while a red carpet led all the way up to one of the brick houses. At the end of it, several people stood there with affectionate and welcoming smiles. Arthur recognized one of them immediately as his 'foster grandfather'. He looked a little older than he was in the picture. He knew he had to do something to convince the accompanying court officials of this – unnecessary – lie. He hurried over to the elder man and gave him a hug. The group was mildly caught off guard before surrounding the new Queen for a group hug.

"Welcome home, Your Grace." Soothing pats against the back made Arthur feel warm and fuzzy inside. It almost felt real. It almost felt like he belonged here.

"I'm home." He choked. The warmth felt like it was engulfing Arthur's entire being, he was suffocating yet it felt good. It felt good to be loved even for a moment. It felt almost like his real deceased parents were hugging him. Tears were blurring his vision and he was trying his best to hold them in. Some escaped his eyes and began to stain the chief's clothes. Small sobs accompanied little trembles across the Brit's shoulders.

"There now…" A gentle hand brushed against his hair rhythmically.

Alfred and Yao looked at the scene with much concern. The former felt his heart clench tight when he saw his Queen's grieving expression. Silently, he swore he'd never let anyone close to him show such a sad face again. The latter briefly remembered his promise to his extended family – one that was broken and made his beloved siblings suffer.

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><p>"Arthur, my Queen, you look exquisite so please, stop criticizing your looks." The Spadian King's check twitched as he wore an awkward expression, half amazed and half annoyed by the Brit's pickiness. "And stop picking on my speech and attire while you're at it." He broke into an ill-at-ease smile. "Don't be ridiculous. We're representing our country, our Kingdom. Like Yao said, everything is in our hands now and this is the first time I'm socializing with the other Kingdom's royal members. There is a need for me to give a good first impression." Alfred knows what was on the other's mind. The month-worth of co-inhabitation made the young lad adapt to his every twitch and tweak. "I probably should put this on as an ascot or a carvat instead of a butterfly bow?" Arthur fidgeted with the neckcloth. He could see the other royalty's expression morph from the corner of his eyes as the latter gave a sigh. "Oh don't give me that look, I'm not usually vain. I just want to present myself and the Kingdom well. Besi-"<p>

"I gotcha, but seriously, you look stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, cute. Damn, I ran out of adjectives. But yeah, you get the drift. Just leave the butterfly on, it makes you adorable. Now get a grip, du-, I mean my Queen." Blue eyes looked away immediately to avoid the menacing aura the green ones were emitting. Alfred cleared his throat nervously. The servants near them held back giggles while others sighed at the fluffy atmosphere.

Soft music began to fill the hallways and the ballroom they were in as the mini orchestral band played. Instinctively, both men straightened themselves, adjusted their clothes and put on a serious yet welcoming face. The music had marked the arrival of guests into the ballroom. And the first thing on the agenda was meeting the royalty and invited nobles of each Kingdom. Arthur took a deep breath in then held it for a longer time than usual to calm his nerves down. He felt like how he did during the wedding in the morning. Jitters, restless, anxious, name any negative feelings and he probably have them. It was possibly contagious as well. He could feel his King getting influenced by the downbeat vibes he was giving off. He nearly jumped on his spot when he heard a quick shuffle of feet in front of him. He let out a sigh of relief when he discovered it was Yao. The 'Asian' Jack of the Kingdom made his way towards the pair, bowed promptly and joined them at the reception area. He stood to the left of Alfred while Arthur to the right.

"The King, Queen and Jack of the Kingdom of Diamonds have arrived."

An announcement echoed in the air and rang inside the Englishman's ears. His brows slid into a slight frown and he gritted his teeth hard against each other. A light grip on his shoulder captured his attention. The reassuring smile on the wheat-head's face lightened up the dense atmosphere. The raven merely raised his delicate brow at the situation. Light brushes of clothing against the carpeted floor sounded from before them. Three silhouettes began to take shape as they pass through the doored walkway.

The tallest of the trio strode in front while the two to the side followed fell in pace a few steps away. Flowing silk seem to glide across the carpeted floors as they moved. The Diamonds crest glistered under soft lights. The royal topaz adorned the King's Rose scepter, the Queen's crystallized Iris tiara and the Jack's Edelweiss spear – the heirloom of their Kingdom. Arthur presumed the man leading the group was the King. Just one look at his demeanor and attire, he swore they're not going to get along.

"Ahhh, I see you've gotten yourself a handsome Queen, non?"

Arthur's cheek twitched in disbelief. Did he just hear French? So the language of the wealthy Kingdom of Diamonds is French, of all languages…? He thought as he gave a weak forced smile. He'd been biased towards the people of his neighbouring country back at home. He reckoned it was just a general dislike rooted in the blood of many of his countrymen. "Ahahaha, you're as humourous as ever, Francis." A clear of the throat came from his King, cueing the new Queen to introduce himself formally. An awkward atmosphere seeped into the six present there. Yao spotted his Queen's weird reaction. He sighed before stating, "Francis, you never changed, aru. Still flirting with anything that walks on two legs."

"Oui, why change when the present is what I wished for? If that is the way I'm getting something tonight, why change?" The flamboyant King wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the Spade Trio. Yao and Alfred both gave looks of disgust and disapproval while Arthur maintained his judging look. After being nudged by the raven head on his left, Arthur managed an unnatural sideward smile. He blurted out what he'd rehearsed, "Arthur Kirkland-Jones, Queen of Spades. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." He stuck out his hand reluctantly for the hand-shake. "Francis Bonnefoy, King of Diamonds. It is a great pleasure to meet you, monsieur."

The Diamond King reached for Arthur's ear and pulled out a rose from the back of it. The Brit dodged the sudden invasion of his personal space with crossed brows. "How attractive you are, your Grace, even flowers bloom for you. Ahh, perhaps this is how you bound young Alfred's heart to yours?" A self-satisfying smirk spread across Francis' face. Arthur felt offended for a moment. He didn't know if that was sarcasm or just an honest compliment. Though he could sure see slight jealousy building up in the pair of blue eyes next to his. But before Arthur and Alfred could say anything, a meek and gentle voice sounded from beside the visiting King.

"I'm Lily Zwingli, Queen of Diamonds. It's an honour to meet you, your Grace. Please pardon my King. He meant no harm." The petite lady took a step forward, gave a shy smile and a polite curtsey before excusing her King. Arthur mirrored her gesture, expressing his delight in meeting her.

"Vash Zwingli, Jack of Diamonds. If you hurt anyone in Diamonds especially my sister, I'll see it personally to make sure you pay. If not, I'm pleased to meet you." A deep and smooth voice threatened while the owner gripped tightly onto his sword's sheath. Alfred was sure his partner would be shocked and frightened by his Royal Highness of Diamonds but he saw an equal-intensity glare once Arthur recovered from the initial upset. He recognized the little Swiss accent from the Jack. He vaguely concluded that they were pretty hostile and defensive in every world – although he didn't want to typecast. "Well, I'm sure we would get along well with Diamonds as usual. Please enjoy the refreshments before the actual event. I hope you have a pleasant night." He said regaining his composure as the host of the dinner. A respectful bow from the Englishman and a goodwill gesture from the Jack sent the amber and maize trio off to their dinning tables.

"The King, Queen and Jack of the Kingdom of Clubs have arrived."

Shortly after the royal suit of Diamonds left, another group started walking down the red carpeted walkway. This time the colour scheme was green. Forest green, lime and teal coloured cotton and woolen textile clad the three figures. The King, Arthur noticed, had some fox furred rims over his long overcoat. His hat was covered with the same fur. A club shaped emerald sat nicely at the bottom edge of the hat. He wielded a golden scepter with Chamomile entwined around the top just like the King of Clubs though longer in length. An amethyst gem in no particular shape sat at the top. The Queen carried a Tulip decorated sword and the Jack, a Edelweiss walking cane. Both of the items had beautiful emeralds adorning them. Arthur felt rather uncomfortable as the trio walked closer. Waves of menace seem to radiate out from the King. His towering height wasn't exactly helping with Arthur's unease. On the other hand, the Jack and Queen looked far more pleasant with friendlier smiles on their faces.

"Your Queen is rather small in size." Arthur flinched at that sentence. He had no exact idea what accent it was. It sounded like Russian but he wasn't sure. The coldness in the tone sent chills down his spine. The creepy smile the tall man was giving made him froze in his spot.

"So what Ivan? He's fighter and he's with us, back off." The Spade King defended his Queen, a little irritated by the presence of man in green.

"I'm Arthur Kirkland-Jones, Queen of Spades. It is my pleasure to meet you."

"Are you afraid, Your Grace?" The smile was undying even with the retort from the host King ignored.

"I don't blame you for you should be."

The smile dropped into an intimidating stare. His violet eyes were void of emotions. Fear, like no other, gripped at Arthur's heart. Alfred watched as a sweat drop rolled down the side of his Queen's head. He knew what his partner was going through. He'd experienced the same thing when he first met the Club King. Arthur swallowed nervously while his eyes locked fixatedly on the man before him. Adrenaline made his pulse race irregularly and the right words seemed to be stuck in his throat.

"Ivan Braginski, King of Clubs. It was nice to taste your fear." Arthur bowed slightly in response, visibly trembling slightly.

"Your Grace, I'm Elizaveta Héderváry, Queen of Clubs. It is definitely pleasant to finally meet you. Alfred kept talking about you the last time we met." The graceful lady gave a cheeky wink before giving a curtsey with the same cheerful smile on her face. A welcomed change of atmosphere came around for the sextet. A tint of pink spread across Arthur's cheeks mimicking the blush appearing on Alfred's. Both of them could've sworn they heard the young Club Queen squeal in joy when they looked shyly at each other.

"I am Roderich Edelstein, the Jack of Clubs. I composed the music used in your ceremony, did you like it, Your Grace?" His upper half bent slightly into a polite bow. A true gentlemanly figure, Arthur thought. "It was splendid, an excellent piece of music. I'm grateful for your efforts, Your Highness." Arthur offered a smile in company of the praise. He thought of the other as fellow gentleman whom he could get along well enough.

"Would you like a change in melody in this room then?"

The new Queen nodded. The young Jack tapped his cane a few times against the ground and soothing music began filling the hall. A different melodious piece was playing within those walls. It sounded like a familiar mix between various Austrian composers but at the same time, though it felt like it was specially tailored for this occasion. The Brit closed his eyes, relaxing to the calming tune. "I'm glad you like it." A friendly gesture from the Jack once again directed them to their seats right beside the Royal suit of Diamonds. The next and last royal suit to arrive was not exactly on friendly terms with the Spade suit.

"The King, Queen and Jack of the Kingdom of Hearts have arrived."

The announcement tore through the thick atmosphere where everything began to tense up. Everyone stopped what they were doing in hopes of watching the confrontation. Alas, the group strode in with great aura and clad in carmine, imperial purple and amethyst. The King, although wearing a serious look, seemed less daunting than the previous one. The Queen looked like an Asian who was related to Yao for some reason while the Jack looked too aloof. Confidently, the tallest man held his gold scepter close to himself. A red spherical ruby resembling the one on the scepter of King Ivan fit nicely on top. Gold flames seem to engulf the ruby like the encasement designed wanted it to. The Queen held his metallic gunsen fan in his hands tightly. A heart-shaped ruby was embedded on its stem. The Jack held a banner with three heart shapes lining horizontally down. The banner was tied onto a spear like pole. It almost felt like they were ready for war.

"I'm Arthur Kirkland-Jones, Queen of Spades. It's great to have you here with us today."

"Your Grace, I am Ludwig, King of Hearts." A deep and serious voice stated. The Englishman stared hard at the man. What he saw was not a man who was as cold as the King before him, nor was he as warm as the King of Diamonds. He saw a man who he was likely to enjoy working with. He couldn't get why they were waging war with his Kingdom. "I wish the both of you happiness with your days together." He wasn't sure if that was sarcasm or it was some form of blessing articulated awkwardly. Arthur did a curtsey to thank his well-wishes while Alfred gave a nod. "This is my Queen and my Jack." He gestured towards the two figures beside him.

"I am Kiku Honda, Queen of Hearts. It is nice to meet you." The raven Queen hid parts of his face behind his gunsen as he spoke. He also did a 90-degree bow accompanying the statement. Arthur reckoned that the Queen was 'Japanese' from the accent and the respect he was receiving. "Veh~ I'm Feliciano Vargas, the Jack of Hearts! I hope we get along well! You look somewhat friendly." The amber head Jack spoke cheerfully as if the relations between the two kingdoms weren't strained. He was fidgeting around the same spot and giving a silly smile to Arthur. He very nearly reached out to hug the Brit but was held back in time by his King. The King of Hearts held onto his Jack from his collar like how you'd pick a cat up.

"I'm sorry for his behavior. I do hope you'd forgive him." He sighed.

"Oh no, it's perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong. There's nothing to worry, Your Majesty." Arthur courteously replied, in fear of fueling the simmering flame of war. Yao directed the group towards their seats right next to the Royal suit of the Kingdom of Clubs. The greeting session truly came to an end after all the guests were seated. The new couple was exhausted from the sheer amount of social mingling prior to the dinner and dance.

Arthur looked towards the table filled with royalty from the other Kingdoms. He hoped the first impression they had of him was a good one. He'd need that in the peace talk the following day.

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><p><strong>Footnote: <strong>I hope you've enjoyed this rather short chapter. I wanted it to cover a bigger part of the plot but with my draggy-ness, I had to make it a separate part of the chapter from the next. Do forgive me ;. See you all soon.


	8. World of Four Part IV

_**Numbers of his Life**_

**Story by:** _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Author's Note: **I'd like to thank this person** ScreamingInSilence **for pointing out a mistake in my last chapter and her wonderful review! It brings me great joy to know people enjoy my story! The Dimensions thing about Spades lands and stuff branched out from the fact that I wanted a division for the lands in Spades. It was originally District but I changed it to Dimensions to add to the time/space division and the magical field to the Kingdom.

Sorry if I'm draggy but I like details and stuff so forgive me ; Well and of course all the other reviewers for taking time to write one! I hope you'd enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>Part IV: The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend <strong>

"How are you doing, Arthur?"

"It's tiring though somewhat enjoyable. I'd say it's better than the strict routine for the past month." He made a bow towards his King. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Spades, I'm Arthur Kirkland-Jones, Queen of Spades."

A couple of hearty laughs echoed the empty hallway meant that he caught Arthur's half-hearted joke. Arthur couldn't help but smile at the situation. Both of them were trying to lift their spirits up for the long night ahead. Both were trying all they can to enjoy themselves for after tonight, the war politics would kick in. They'd be immersed into a world of bloodshed where pavements dye scarlet red from all the blood that was spilled.

"Hmm, we shall inject some enjoyment. Well then, may I have this dance then, my Queen?"

A hand stretched out in invitation while eyes connected in a fixated gaze. Arthur's lips curled into a smile. "It's worth dying for, my King." The soft music picked up in its amplitude and rhythm. Spotlights concentrated in the middle of the dance floor as the couple took their first steps towards it. Hand-in-hand, the couple walked down the stairs leading to the main room of the dance hall.

"Let's put our hands together for the first dance of the night by none other than the King and Queen of Spades!"

Enthusiastic applause echoed through the air. It definitely lifted some of the dreadfully serious atmosphere of earlier diplomatic exchanges between high-rank officials of all four Kingdoms. The couple ought to thank their people for that. How hyped up they were when they first found Arthur and the news of their new Queen. A royal position can never be empty for too long or any Kingdom would fall apart internally. Everyone was skeptical of the young King and the old Jack administration and predicted Spades to fall in less than a month. Miraculously, the pair managed to keep it up for half a year while searching for the 'long lost' – Arthur might add – Queen of the Kingdom. It was thought that a weak interior was what led Hearts want a war to claim Spades under its flag and greatly reduce its power and influence.

Arthur felt a squeeze on his hand by another. "You're dazing, Arthur. What's wrong? Tired?" The Spade King asked earnestly. "No, I'm alright. Thank you for your concern. Shall we begin?" A brilliant smile response was what he'd gotten. A bow followed by a curtsy. Hand on waist, hand on shoulder, hand in hand, chest to chest, they positioned themselves gracefully for the first step of the waltz. But the first step was never taken. Several loud shrieks pierced the air from behind Arthur. All the attention shifted to the lone dark figure standing in the limelight. Arthur looked to that direction. A pair of dark eyes glinted at him and a faint smirk formed on the figure's face. Brows crossed in the middle across both the King and Queen's faces. They'd never had this planned in tonight's programme. The uninvited guest raised his arm and pointed to the new Queen before breaking into a laughing fit. The laughter echoed through the halls ignoring any comments or verbal attempts of making it stop. But when it did stop, the figure bolted towards the Englishman with a clawed hand. Everything happened in a flash. All the guards of the night fell defeated and sprawled all over the floor and all Arthur could feel was getting yanked back, hitting the ground while his King jumped right in front of him fighting off the assailant.

"Get back, Arthur!"

His husband shouted while shoving the opponent off of him. Arthur snapped out of his initial shock, recollected his thoughts and managed to dodge the dagger thrown at him.

"Buy me some time, love." He said while doing a side-flip followed by a somersault to evade more daggers. He regained his footing in a relatively safer spot behind a beacon and began murmuring words to a spell. Bright specks of magic surrounded the trio, effectively creating a barrier from the rest that were present. The Jack was nearly bolting out of his seat at the table. But he was stopped midway when the King of Clubs grabbed his arm, smiled at him and shook his head slowly. Yao frowned before retaking his seat and looking on with worry written all over his face.

"How much more time do you need? I need a little hel-" Alfred blurted while countering those lightning fast claws. He was light on his feet, making the footwork look like a dance. "Oof, now would be a good time sweet heart!" Vines sprouted from the floor beneath, grasping at the assailant's legs and eventually its entire body. The figure flailed his clawed hand in attempt to break free. Yet the more he struggled, the tighter the translucent vines held. All three of the Spade royal assembly knew that no one would let the matter rest if they found out how easy it was for the assassin to infiltrate the palace. They needed a plan. With a mutter of a few more words to a spell, leaves started to sprout and flowers started to bloom on the vines. A familiar fragrance of their trademark flowers filled the hall. Arthur nodded to his King.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Nobles, Royalty. I hope you've enjoyed our small and unique surprise. We don't mean to startle you but as a Kingdom of novelty, we thought of showing something slightly different. The talent of our new Queen that is; and the partnership between our King and Queen." Yao stood up and announced. A white lie couldn't kill, right…? Surprisingly, the little 'feat' earned numerous praises and a rounding applause. Arthur gave bows to his audiences and the brilliant smile he was wearing charmed many. Alfred mirrored his actions, adding flying kisses in random directions. The now inanimate figure entwined by flowering vines became the new ornament in the middle of dance floor.

"We thank you all for the attention, the floor is now open to everyone. Do join in." The couple excused themselves before hurrying off gracefully to their Jack who already stood at a corner far from the main crowd.

"What was **_that_**? I don't recall it being in the programmes for tonight." Arthur whispered.

"Well, obviously it isn't part of the programme. He was out to kill you, aru." The raven head pointed at Arthur. "It's clear someone wants you dead." Arthur gulped. All his life he's been in the comfort of safety. He had never come any closer to a life threatening situation. And after being the Queen, he felt, first times weren't rare anymore.

"Yao, that thing isn't human. It's like a humanoid marionette, I'm sure someone has been controlling it till Arty's vines sucked the energy outta it. The manipulator shouldn't be too far away though." Alfred paused before his expressions turned into shock. "Marionettes are the favourite plaything of the King of Diamonds, isn't it…?

"No no, Alfred. Francis is on our side. Remember he supported your coronation and helped with your reign in these years. He can't be the one." The Jack was quick to rebut.

"Or maybe he is. Maybe he was eyeing our lands and in cahoots with Hearts. You'd never know."

There was a pregnant pause. All three of them looked at each other awkwardly, unable to explain the current situation.

"Argh, whatever it is, its aim is to sow discord amongst the Kingdoms, especially between Spades and Diamonds – to make us lose our ally. There are higher possibilities Hearts is involved in this. We need to check the guest list. Any name with association to any manipulator would be our prime suspect. And we should step up security." Arthur stated. He seemed calm as if he wasn't the target of the assault. Even if the fear of dying were overwhelming, the need to stay collected greatly overshadowed them. The other two present nodded and began dispatching knights off investigating the incident.

_"They're after me. All the more I have to stay calm."_ When the realization sank in, Arthur's shoulders visibly tensed.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a hug. The response Alfred received was a slight jolt of shock. "Don't worry. I'm here. I fended that thing off didn't I?" The warmth seeped through into his clothes. It was soothing and much welcomed. He pulled away and locked eyes with Alfred. The serious face his King was making just made him smile. It's rare but certainly relieving for Arthur. "I know." He chuckled. "Hey now, what're you laughing at? I was worried, alright? And I thought you were scared, geez." The pseudo-American pouted.

_"An act? Who am I kidding? It must be an act."_ Arthur thought. He shook off the thought and put on a smile. "Well, look at me. I'm fine, aren't I? We should be entertaining our guests, shouldn't we?" He led his King to the table where all the royalty of different Kingdoms sat.

"Magnifique! That was a good performance, mon cher!"

"I'd expect no less from the Kingdom of Spades."

"It was a splendid performance, indeed."

The responses from the three Kings at the table seemed normal. None of them seemed suspicious except the King of Clubs who was always mysterious and sneaky – in Alfred's words.

"I propose a toast to the new couple of Spades. To them, a life of happiness." The Clubs King paused staring straight at them with a slight smirk. "And of course, hope of a bright future. Cheers." The mocking stare made Alfred's cheek twitch. The blessings were dripping with sarcasm. So much, Arthur swore he would've pinpointed him as the mastermind if he weren't on neutral terms with the man. The royal couple then drank the liquor in their glasses. It wasn't the first time Arthur tasted the specialty wine of Dimension Three. But boy, was it ever so strong. He held his hand over his mouth to prevent spitting the remainder back out. He choked on the cooling and burning sensation down his throat and coughed violently into a napkin. "Arthur, what's wrong? Are you ok?" The wheat-head expressed his worry while rubbing soothing circles on the other's back.

"I-ack, I'm fine, love. Nothing to worry about." He tried hard suppressing the coughs.

"I apologise for my Queen, he's still not used to this wine." Alfred offered his silken handkerchief to Arthur.

"I recommend some Club honey with the wine, makes the flavor richer and sweeter. It'd be less dry to swallow." The hazel haired Queen spoke with a gentle smile. "I'll take that into consideration, thank you Queen Elizaveta." He reciprocated the smile keeping his coughs controlled.

"I recommend a tinge of cane sugar to add to that exotic taste. The flavours would entice your taste buds." The Queen of Hearts maintained a fixed smile. "I'll keep that in mind, thank you Queen Kiku." Arthur nodded slightly, acknowledging the statement. He noticed a small exchange of looks between both Queens – looks of genuine dissatisfaction. The brooding atmosphere had just gone a few notches more tense. The petite Queen of Diamonds watched on uneasily. Someone her age shouldn't be going through this at all if not for the death of the uncrowned predecessor. Sensing his Queen's discomfort heightening and to get her out of this sticky situation, King Francis asked the Clubs Queen for a dance.

Owing to traditions, whenever a member of the royal trio is asked for a dance by any one of another royal suit, they are obliged to return the invite. The King of Clubs invited Queen Lily, ignoring the imaginary daggers flying his way from the Jack. She gladly took his hand in hopes to escape gracefully. What that shocked the entire table and possibly the entire ballroom was that King Ludwig was asking the Spades Queen to a dance. Declining the invite would be foolish or perceived as an outright declaration of war. Everything Arthur says or does from now on would create a political and international tsunami. He had to take each step carefully. He was led to the dance floor where a polite curtsy started the dance. All eyes were on them. Both Alfred and Yao eyed the pair suspiciously. The King was rather skilled dancing. Swift movements and graceful maneuvers made it easy for anyone to follow his steps. Arthur was under the impression that he was an understanding man, willing to listen perhaps but all that was about to change.

"I'm particularly fond of your lovely palace." His partner started midway through the dance. "It'd be a shame to see it engulfed in flames." Arthur's mind froze from the statement – or threat rather – even though the rest of his body was still moving to the dance. He was speechless, not knowing what would be appropriate to reply. "I'm sure there wouldn't be a chance that such unfortunate events were to happen, am I wrong, Your Grace?" Arthur's lips drew into thin line. His emerald eyes stared fixatedly at the man in front of him. His brows slid towards the middle into a slight frown before carefully placing his response. "Certainly not, Your Majesty. I'm well aware of the things happening around me. Especially when it involves things belonging to me." He gave a disapproving scowl before continuing. "I'm certain you wouldn't want to feel the wrath of this Kingdom if anything were to happen. We are not the Kingdom known for war for nothing." He watched as the tall man narrowed his eyes on him. He gave a satisfied smirk, knowing he made his stand clear. The music piece gradually came to an end. The German King led Arthur off the dance floor only to exchange partners with the King of Spades. "Thank you for the delightful dance." The new Queen articulated each word dripping with sarcasm. Ludwig's expression took on a slight glower.

Alfred linked hands with the Brit, carefully observing the Hearts pair. There was an exchange of looks between them before the Queen whispered into his King's ears. The red Queen's lips curled into a sinister smile. The next waltz has already begun. The wheat head escorted his Queen for an official first dance, though it served a different purpose. "From what I see Ludwig isn't happy about whatever you did or said, so what exactly did you do?" Alfred started, interlocking his fingers with Arthur's.

"He tried to threaten me and our kingdom. I'm merely letting him know what my stand was."

"What was your reply?" He felt a squeeze on his waist as they spun around the hall. He noted that Alfred's expression turned serious. He wanted to hear exactly what the other said. _"Since when was he a mother hen, worrying for his chicks,"_ Arthur thought.

"The only thing I said was the truth and it's a subtle remark that we're no pushovers." Arthur answered. He was slightly sour over the doubt. His eyes looked past his partner's shoulders. "I assure you Your Majesty I've said nothing inappropriate or provoke th-..!" He wasn't really concentrating on his footwork and in a split second, Arthur felt himself being jerked towards the floor side-first. His right hand instinctively grabbed his partner's shoulder, hooking itself around his neck to break the fall. Just as he thought he hit the floor on his back, he felt a strong tug supporting his body from his waist. His eyes snapped open when he didn't even remember closing them. He found himself in an awkward position – Alfred hovered over him, arching his body upwards with his arm while his face mere inches away from Arthur's own. "Your Majes-..? Mmph!" To Arthur's surprise, the wheat-head leaned in for a chaste kiss.

"Just Alfred." He said after receiving some form of cheers from the audience.

"You-.. Alfred, I.. What are you doing?"

"Why? What does it look like I'm doing?" Sapphire eyes glinted with a tinge of playfulness.

"Publically displaying your affection?" Hints of pink spread across Arthur's face awkwardly.

"Mmm that too but I was doing a little experiment. I'm happy with the results." Alfred grinned before pulling Arthur back up to standing position and leading him off the dance floor. He knew he earned himself a quirk of a brow from Arthur but he chose to ignore it. Of this month knowing Arthur, Alfred found his Queen to be independent and intelligent, as if nothing can bring him down. But all that the blue King wanted was to tell his Queen to depend on him, to know he'd always be there. For all the wants he wished to say, he'd deny love being the reason. He described it as more like a responsibility – at least for now. Like Arthur, he was partly selfish, not wanting to get hurt when it was time eventually Arthur to leave. He didn't want his heart to break again from the loss of a loved one, and he knew it was the same for Arthur.

The night drew to a close as invited guests leave or retire to their rooms. Investigations of the unexpected 'guest' then follow suit. The guards tried to remove the marionette cautiously and under the care of several sorcerers. Though, just when the vines loosen, the marionette sprung into action and launched itself towards the Brit. He landed on his back quite heavily, having shoved out-of-the-way by his husband yet again while Alfred landed on his arm. And with quick reflexes, the Jack summoned his sword and engaged the hostile being.

"Arthur, can you stand?" Alfred asked concernedly before directing his following question to his knowledgeable Jack. "Why the heck is this thing still alive? I thought that thing's energy was sucked dry?"

"Argh, whoever that's commanding it must have a large reserve of magic to keep this puppet moving after so long, aru." Yao leapt backwards and muttered a few words. Weird characters seem to glow through his sword gradually and a magic circle encompassed the ground he was standing on. "Be gone." With a slash, the marionette stopped dead in its tracks and disassembled. "This time for real, the attacks should stop, aru. Is your back ok, ahen?"

"Argh, should be fine, no worr- oh blimey it'll hurt for a while." Arthur had one of his hands trying to ease the pain while the other held tightly onto the younger King for support. He noticed Alfred's expressions of worry. "Relax, it won't kill me. Bloody hell, it's only the first day as Queen and people are already after my life. Blast them all." Alfred and Yao exchanged looks in silence, understanding Arthur's complaints. They too, experienced such hostility and if not for the King of Diamonds, they wouldn't be standing here.

"Fuck! Oh for Christ's sake control your strength! You're hurting me!"

"I-I'm sorry I'm inexperienced okay?"

"Anything will do for now, I need this so badly."

"There better?"

"Mmmm, it feels good, Alfred. You're surprisingly, oomph, good, ahh."

"Of course, the hero must be good at anything! I'm awesome with my hands!"

"Right… Hey Alfred, move up a little more."

"Here?"

"No, ah-, to the left."

"What about here?"

"Oh yes! That's the spot…"

"Are you enjoying this?"

"It's amazing...!"

Surely anyone who overheard that conversation from outside the doors of the newlywed would definitely think they were doing the deed. A lively night for a young love seemed right. The guards outside their chambers blushed horribly from the seemingly love-filled night. But of course things weren't always the case.

"What did you think of the people tonight?" Alfred continued massaging his precious Queen's injured back. A small moan escaped the lips of the Brit. "All fur coat and no knickers, really. One moment they're all smiley with you, once they turn their backs on you they start to stab you in your back." Arthur sighed. "Ahh, but it's the same in my world. I'm really exhausted having to deal with such people." The Englishman felt the fingers on his back pause to his dismay. "I know how it feels but there'll always be people you can count on right?" He looked over his shoulder and caught his partner's smile.

"Yea." He mirrored the smile.

"Ahem," The Jack cleared his throat. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Yes you are, Yao. Who the hell enters the room of a newlywed couple on their wedding night?" Arthur scowled. He was clearly annoyed by the sudden intrusion that made those skillful hands leave his back. Yao quirked his brow, seemingly questioning the situation – no one was naked or at the very least half-naked. A slight blush formed on the youngest in the room upon realizing what Arthur and Yao were referring to. And when Arthur noticed the blush, his cheeks turned pink as well. "W-we… I just wanted some rest before tomorrow and Alfred's helping me with my back th-that's all." The Queen scratched the side of his face and stuttered uncharacteristically. "Don't you ever knock before barging in?"

"I do, aru. I'm about to knock the door down." The raven head snorted. "If the both of you weren't so indulged, you would've heard it." He folded his arms and huffed. Alfred scratched the nape of his neck and laughed nervously. "That aside," Yao frowned. "This is what we've got from the investigations. Seems like one of Francis dolls. But one that was reported missing some time back and Francis did make a big fuss of it."

"Right… So, give me a perfect explanation why it's after my life?"

The Jack thinned his lips before answering unwillingly. "Maybe your conjecture is right. Also, Clubs might be involved in this. Ivan forbade me to interfere with your fight. He might know something. I'm thankful though, at least we managed to fool everyone. But we'll gather more evidence for any accusations, aru. In the meantime, you should worry about how you're going to get the Spade marks for the unleashing of your full potential as King and Queen." The other two on the bed turned red almost immediately. The raven head sighed. "The night is but young. However, the court would demand results by the morning. Even if you can't do it, at least inform me of your plans before morning court tomorrow." Yao excused himself and left the room.

It was believed that the marriage between the King and the Queen would imply that the trust they had for each other should be high enough to grant both the full power of their positions. Marriage was more than the exchange of sweet words and beautiful rings. It entrusts the lives of both parties to each other. Unless the pact was broken before death itself, both royalty would die together. Also, the King and Queen cannot be too powerful before they learn to trust each other. If they lose their trust in the other, their respective powers decline as well. It was the Kingdom's natural way of avoiding internal conflict – one of the many reasons that would cause it to collapse. The Jack had a different way of gaining his power. It was to gain recognition from court through achievements and trust from the King and Queen. Although the system governing the kingdom wasn't foolproof, it had led Spades through centuries of history to date.

"Hey…" The blonde tensed when he felt the other put his hand over Arthur's own. "Do you remember why the blue Tudor Rose is our national flower?" Arthur nodded in reply. "Have you heard of the actual reason behind it?" This time, the Englishman shook his head.

"Did it ever occur to you that the youngest of the two families in conflict were in love? And that they couldn't be together because of it?" Sapphire eyes stared fixately at the fireplace at the opposite end of the room. "She was the third Queen and he was the fourth King."

There was a moment of gradual silence and only the crackling of burning firewood and light breathing could be heard.

"She died protecting the Kingdom in the Great War but she was," He paused before letting out a breath. "Murdered… The King's family tampered with the weapons. They used magic and made it impossible for her to survive her last battle. Her family was furious when the word got out." He continued. "When a civil war was on the verge of breaking out, the King took his own life. Those who didn't know would think he was escaping from the matter but he was a responsible man. He ceased the internal conflict and entrusted the Kingdom to his loyal Jack. The Kingdom was thrown into chaos temporarily but from the ashes, phoenixes rise, the new royal suit came to life."

"And so, to honor the warrior Queen who dared to love and the devoted King who followed his love, the rose which represented this love was named the national flower?" A thick brow quirked up in question, expecting an affirmative answer.

"There lies a story behind everything – like a flower as beautiful and sweet-smelling as the rose, hides events so deadly and conflict-laced. But the truths in these stories are merely perceived." Alfred gave a weak smile.

"Is this some part of a game we're playing? The more lies we make will only lead to a riskier situation. Guessing and entertaining ideas? That's tiring enough back at home." Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose, easing a small headache. "What exactly **is** the truth? How **true** is the truth?" Reading false fronts subconsciously was one of Arthur's most hated skills. He loathed how fake people could be at times.

"The truth is what you believe in and what our forefathers wanted to know. Let's turn in, shall we?" A warm smile accompanied the suggestion. "Gonna' be a long day tomorrow."

Perhaps he saw Alfred as escaping the topic but he knew some part of that was for his wellbeing or at least avoiding a possible argument. Alfred leaned in for a kiss and the Brit let him. Slipping his eyes close, he felt the pressure on his lips slowly diminish. "Good night, darling!" He pulled the covers over both of them and tucked himself into bed. Arthur sighed and stared at the calming ceiling. It'd be hard to fall asleep tonight, especially when you're sharing your bed with another person and tomorrow wasn't a day to look forward to. Well, he'd better start counting sheep.

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><p>"That was a job well done, Queen Elizaveta." A smooth voice aroused the attention of the couple present. "I wouldn't have done that as brilliantly as you did." A polite bow and a kiss on the hand by the owner of the voice were returned with a smart curtsy.<p>

"You flatter me, Queen Kiku."

"Is it all done, Your Majesty?" The other present in the room asked with a slight authority.

"Everything is going according to plan, Your Royal Highness." The red Queen replied with a tiny smirk across his face. "Now, it's up to them to take the bite."

"It's a pity we do not have enough power; for the King and I do not see eye-to-eye on this matter." The figure adjusted his spectacles, setting it nicely over the bridge of his nose. "However, the heavens are on our side. Hearts is ever so generous in lending a hand to us. We'll forever be indebted to Ludwig's gratitude."

"And so will we to you. May our partnership be a success, Jack Roderich."

A toast was shared marking the alliance's beginning.

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><p><strong>Footnote: <strong>Oooo, drama's finally unfolding? Stay tuned! Man I sound like some soap drama preview commentator. School's starting and I'll get !#$^&*()-ing busy yet again haha. I hope to be back probably by September. Don't want to keep my lovely fans waiting but duty calls. Anyway happy belated Independence Day, America! And happy Olympics! May the odds be ever in your favour. xD OH and did you hear? Season 5 of Hetalia got an all-clear! Woot! \o/

Hot damn, I never knew this story was included in one of the communities (The American and The Brit) whoever it is let me shout out a big thank you! I'm so happy! And for the 66 followers of the story thank you for sticking though with me! ;D I LOVE YOU ALL!


	9. Allies of Five, Part I

_**Numbers of his Life**_

**Story by:** _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Author's Note:** Special thanks to CrimsonRegret478 for the review! And my beloved guest (a friend of mine lol). Sorry I took such a long time. I'm really getting owned irl. Just had gazillion test/exams. Please make do with this chapter before I have the time to really develop anything at all. Oh god, I hate myself and my life. Enjoy!

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 5: Allies of Five<em>**

**_Part I: On our mark._**

"Wake up Arthur!"

Arthur groaned as he flipped over to the other side of the bed, grabbing the entire blanket along with him. "N-not now, five more minutes…" He curled up into a ball, clutching the covers tightly.

"No, come on now, listen to your husband. Wake UP!" With one strong pull, Arthur felt a wave of coldness rush to hug him. He groaned again as he gave his eyes a few rubs. Boy, he was grouchy alright. Who wouldn't, when you don't have enough sleep? The tossing and turning for hours before he finally found sleep has taken its toll. "For Christ's sake what is it?" He shouted with none of his eyes fully opened. "Arthur," Alfred emphasized. "My dear, are you forgetting something?" Green eyes stared up at blue ones before squinting at them. "I don't think so…?" He replied before asking himself. _"What'd I forget?"_

"Good. Now give me a morning kiss."

Arthur's eyes widened a little in surprise though he maintained a poker face before proceeding to peck his King on the cheeks. What made him jump a little in his spot was the other's sudden movement to meet him on his lips. Arthur did feel those soft lips from his sleepy daze. But something else accompanied it. Alfred grabbed his arm and pushed him against the bed stand. Green eyes dilated when he registered what his partner was doing. "Mm-mmph! Al-mmph!" Just as he tried to speak, the other made use of that and slipped his tongue in. He struggled quite violently from the sudden intrusion. He couldn't just back down the fight, especially when he's being violated – or so he thought. Despite his efforts, Alfred's dead weight held him down firmly. The numerous heated kisses by his King made his head go fuzzy. He could feel his resolve faltering and his stupidly honest body enjoying the moment. When they finally came apart, Alfred smiled at his dazed Queen. A line of saliva leftover from the kisses stained the side of the latter's mouth.

"There's something else I need to do. I apologise if it hurts."

With that, Arthur's mind went wild. Exactly what is Alfred going to do?! Why would it hurt? It was too early in the morning to do _THAT_! "N-NO, WAIT Your Majesty, Alfred! NOOOO-..!" The neckcloth he kept on before heading to bed was loose from last night's tossing and it came off quite easily. It left his neck unguarded. "Wai- ahh-! Alf-ahh noo! Stop!" While keeping his Queen occupied with the protesting of his assault on his neck, the young King struggled to unbutton his partner's shirt. "Haa.. Don't! Ah-!" When all that flailing was over, both of them were panting heavily. Most of Arthur's chest was revealed under the light. "It's beautiful…" Alfred whispered as his fingers gently caressed the right side of Arthur's chest. Tints of pink spread over Arthur's face from the compliment but when he noticed what the other was talking about, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed. There was a faint but distinct mark on his chest, similar to that of a tattoo. He could only register a rough spade shape from the complicated design. His gaze soon found its way on the wheat-head. His expressions were a mix of awe and satisfaction.

"Ok! We'll do more kisses to strengthen the mark." Blue eyes stared straight into green ones determinedly. Honestly, Arthur found himself attracted to that confidence momentarily. He did manage to stop Alfred in time before another round started. "Wa-ait! At least tell me why we're doing this!" He covered Alfred's mouth with one hand while pushing against his shoulder with the other, keeping a healthy distance between the two. "Hm?" Alfred grabbed his wrist and removed it from his mouth. "You don't remember what Yao said last night? We were supposed to do something but I know we both can't bring ourselves to do it. So we'll settle for the next best thing! Don't you like kisses? Am I bad?"

The Brit was temporarily stumped. He didn't know what to say. "N-no… B-but." His eyes shifted from Alfred's eyes to his lips as the latter inched closer. "But?" Alfred prompted. "But.. I-…" His mind was in quite a confused state, with his attention now on the hand cupping his face. "Don't push me away, ok Arthur?" Lips touched sensually this time when both parties are willing. Arthur slipped his eyes closed instinctively. Tongues caressed each other gently and slowly. A low groan echoed in Arthur's throat as Alfred's hand slid down sensitive skin along his neck. They broke apart, eyes not leaving the other.

"Now I know what the neckcloth is for." The King grinned playfully.

"W-wh.. S-Shut up.." The Queen's lips drew into a thin line, embarrassed.

The moment was broken when a loud knock on the doors. An audience was asked. "Your Majesties, the Royal Authenticator and the Grand Chronicler requests an audience." The Queen of the kingdom panicked to re-button his shirt and dress appropriately for the audience but he was halted by his King. "Take off your clothes and pretend you're still asleep. We need to let them think we had a long night. You know what to do right?" The Englishman nodded. "Oh and take off your pants too. I won't peep." With that the pseudo-American stood up and turned around. "Let me know when you're done." After he undressed, Arthur laid down on his side. His face molding into the soft pillow and his eyes closed. "Done." He heard some shuffling of clothes. He reckoned Alfred removed his top and scattered their clothes all around the bed to create an after-sex surrounding but he could care less. Right now, they have to pass this test first. "Let them in."

"Good morning to you, Your Majesties. I'm sure you know why we're here this morning. Ahh, but it seems, His Grace has yet to wake."

"I let him sleep in, since he did his best last night." Alfred collected the clothes scattered on the floor. "I'll wake him up for the affirmation." Arthur felt one side of the bed sink a little from Alfred's weight. Fingers brushed a few strands of hair out of his face. "Arthur, honey, it's morning already." As if it was real, Arthur's eyes fluttered open with a small crease in his bushy brows. "Ngh-hmm? It's earl-ack!" Pain shot through his back. Why did his aching back have to return right now? His hand immediately shot up, holding onto his lower back. His teeth gritted showing expressions of pain. Alfred looked genuinely puzzled and worried. "A-are you ok, darling?"

"Ah-, it's all your fault. You were so rough last night."

That came out extremely wrong. Both heads of the palace tried to hide their blushes desperately. Alfred caught the chronicler scribbling notes onto his records book while Arthur wanted the ground to swallow him up immediately. But the show has to go on. "I'll be alright, help me up, love." Alfred held on to Arthur's arm while supporting his waist. The silken blanket hung dangerously from his waist, threatening to expose his lower half. He quickly pulled the blanket up to conceal himself.

The authenticator coughed to get their attention. "As Your Majesties know, we're here to affirm your royal marks. The Grand Chronicler here will note down its features for future reference. Please bear with us." The Spade marks were different on all three royals of the kingdom. Their designs and sizes depended on the person. Every set of marks were unique from reign to reign. But no matter how different they were, they never swayed away from the clock design in the middle.

Arthur's mark was on his right chest just under his collar bone. Two angel wings curled into Spade's shape with the clock in the middle. The short and long hands were multiple branches twined from thick to thin, pointing at 3 and 12 respectively. The whole shape was entwined with some vines around the top and the stalk of the shape. The shape, resembling a tree, was sitting in a pool of water. Alfred's was on the top left of his back, on top of where his shoulder blade should be. Instead of angel wings, his was decorated with devil wings which seem tattered and torn, embracing the clock in the middle. The hands were flaming swords pointing at 6 and 9 respectively. The shape and its stalk were entwined with flames while sitting in a pool of water.

"An angel and a devil, it is by far the most interesting of designs." The Chronicler noted.

"Devil?" The King questioned. "Yes Your Majesty, it is indeed bat-like wings like that of devil. But I'm sure it has nothing to do with your character." The authenticator hurriedly assured the King that all was fine. "Though I'd think the marks are a little faint, perhaps because it's only beginning to form. There should be nothing wrong. Please excuse us for this intrusion, Your Majesties." The two court officials respectfully excused themselves from their bed chambers.

"Haa…" Arthur let out a loud sigh of relief. He very nearly threw the blanket off himself before he realized he was fully naked. _"That was close."_ He thought before attempting to wrap himself with the blanket while struggling to stand. "Here." He was handed his clothes. Both of them hurriedly dressed for the occasion.

_"Devil…"_ Green eyes swept past the room and fell on the king-ly figure. He rested his hand just above his own mark. _"Angel…"_ Unknowingly, Alfred was having the same thoughts as his Queen. A slight frown surfaced on his face while being deep in men buttoned their waistcoat mindlessly before they both realized some buttons were wrong. Eyes locked temporarily as they checked on each other. Embarrassment pulled them apart before they turned, back facing each other.

_"It wasn't what I saw…"_ Arthur thought.

* * *

><p>"It seems the full power of Spades has finally assembled." Ludwig stared into the flames of the burning firewood as two Spade signs flashed across the dancing flames. A dragon flexed its wings on one and a Pegasus reared up on its hind legs on the other. It was akin to an announcement to the other Kingdoms in gaining full power. The stoic King brushed against the Hearts mark on the back of his right hand. "The game is about to start."<p>

"I apologise for my doubt again but wouldn't it be a bad time to attack them, my King?" His Queen asked politely after witnessing the magic. "We've been through this many times. There is no war when your opponent is weak. Are you not confident in yourself?" The German picked up his Queen's hand and placed a chaste kiss. A confident smirk developed on both their faces. "The new Queen has quite a good impression of you, Kiku."

"Indeed." A silent exchange was interspersed between the spoken sentences.

"Veh~ Kiku and Ludwig are so capable! I can just relax all I want!~" The amber-haired individual plopped onto both his Queen and King's shoulders. "Feli, you can do anything. You just need to put your heart into it." Ludwig sighed while Kiku chuckled. "I'm sure he can. There are things only he could do." Kiku continued, "You're about to do it soon, right?"

With a couple of blinks, Feliciano burst into a brilliant smile. "Of course!"

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><p>"Oh what joy! Both King Alfred and Queen Arthur's power recognition is finally announced! I wonder how their night was!" The green Queen squealed in delight. "It must have been wonderful!" Her husband just sighed. "Your fantasies never fails to amaze me, Elizaveta." He sipped on his tea nonchalantly. "Dragons are easy to slay and Pegasus likewise. They'll fall to us in no time, my lady." The elegant lady smiled in response.<p>

"…" The tallest amongst the three stared emotionlessly at the plant messenger. _"I wonder…"_

* * *

><p>"And so it begins…" Blue eyes narrowed at the ball of mist. The two Spade royalty were marked by beings of flight, perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea to continue the alliance with Spades. "Francis," A light voice sounded from his side. "A penny for your thoughts?"<p>

"Nothing you should worry about, dear Lily. Let us handle this." He replied with a gentle smile. "Vash, it's time we greet our alliance's power."

"You can count on me."

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><p><strong>Footnote: <strong>I wana say thank you to all those loyal follower whom I know can't stand my draggy-ness but still stuck with me haha. And welcome to the new peeps! Story's going at quite a slow pace atm cause of my failure. Hopefully I get some character development going on and get the story to move on quicker when I have the time. Anyway I did draw/design the spade marks on deviantart with the same penname. If you wana have a look, just head over! It's just a graphical concept and hand-drawn. I'll see you guys again soon hopefully...


	10. Allies of Five, Part II

_**Numbers of his Life**_

**Story by:** _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Author's Note:** Special thanks to **01blackcat02** (And also thank you for the PM), **Little miss innocent liar** and **OldNewLife** (You could have just msg me on the phone xD) for the review! Sorry I took such a long time - I say this a lot omg. To celebrate my 1st year anniversary I shall present you the longest chapter yet lololol. Thank you all and have fun reading. Enjoy!

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 5: Allies of Five<em>**

**_Part II: Get set_**

"I'm sure I saw a dragon, stop fretting over it. It's starting to get on my nerves." A brow twitched in company with the statement. Unease tingled along Alfred's skin as he tried observing his mark from the mirror image of a mirror's image of his back. "Stop thinking about it, we don't have time for that, get dressed and besides, we need to get going." Frustration started to pent up within as Arthur watched the younger man put up a pout. At times, the youngster seemed too childish to be called a king yet other times, he was the most matured person Arthur had ever known. Alfred had his brows scrunched up still worried about his mark. Literally something snapped. Broken pieces of the comb Arthur was holding onto fell from his grip. Arthur had exceeded his nonsense capacity. The urge to hit his husband on the head was mounting. His lips pressed into a thin line, marked with dissatisfaction. Waves of dark aura began rushing towards Alfred. Alfred could feel chills going down his spine. The intense glare and the thickening atmosphere – who would be so dense to not notice it.

"Okay, alright I get it! I'll go, geez…" He gave up. Soon after, the royal couple of Spades walked briskly towards what Arthur regarded as a conference room. The guards gave a polite bow to the both of them before an announcement of their arrival was made. The room had an oval table where court officials, nobles and representatives of each dimension of the kingdom.

"Ahh, it's our first appearance in court. Let's play a game, shall we?"

A grin spread across the young King's face.

"Wha- treat this seriously, you're the King for goodness sake and we're about to-…!" A finger pressed against Arthur's lips, effectively silencing him. The taller figure also placed his finger on his own lips. A weak smile hid behind it. Arthur stared at him with his mind going through all the things his partner could be thinking of. He averted his gaze and brushed Alfred's hand aside. "Fine, I get it…" Even if he didn't, he'd still say that. His lips pressed into a thin line.

"If I win, I get more kisses ok?"

"Pfft, you're so full of yourself huh? What if I win?" The Englishman questioned that condition.

"Ohh I'm sure you won't. But if you do, you'll get kisses too!"

"-…!" A blush exploded across Arthur's face. He was at a lost for words. He could only grumble some string of words that he himself couldn't understand. "Bullocks…" He eyed his King uneasily as the latter whistled happily. He proceeded to walk behind Alfred, letting him lead the way into the court room. He'd better shake off that sense of embarrassment before the start of something serious. He was led to his seat where his husband pulled out his chair for him. He thanked him for the deed before settling in. _"Wait, he hasn't said what game it was…"_ He thought and just before he could ask, Yao started the court session.

"Your Royal Majesties, Princely Lords, Nobles. I believe we all know the agenda for today but please allow me to officially start this court session. Our main concern today is the oncoming war from Kingdom of Hearts. Preparations are already in place for both the war and the peace talk." The raven-head continued. "However, I am not too optimistic about the latter… What do you think, Arthur? The military looks prepared but how confident are we?" His gaze landed on Arthur. Arthur took a deep breath in before preparing himself to speak. "I'd like to believe we're nearly 80% confident but of course, there's no such thing as a definite win. We'll go through strategies and make sure our counterattacks are fast, swift and efficient. Of course, I'd love to have minimal casualties as well." He leaned back against the back of the chair, gracefully crossing his arms in front of him. His stand on the matter was clear and the majestic feel he was giving off seemed to affect many of the court members gathered in that room. There were small whispers here and there but most were convinced.

"80%, Arthur?" A voice from beside him questioned. "We'll never fight an uncertain war." The entire room became silent. Many pairs of eyes stared in the King's direction, debating internally of what their King just said. The Jack let out a small sigh, seemingly at the overconfidence. While Arthur's eyes stared fixatedly at his husband, lips slightly parted in shock. He was in a mental turmoil. Part of him wanted to agree with Alfred and part of him was screaming that'd be impossible. Then there was the other part who secretly admired that confidence Alfred had. It was like nothing could stop him.

"I need more than 100% certainty. I want the results of this war to be nothing but our victory." He paused. "Can you do that, Arthur?" Sapphire eyes locked with emerald ones. The latter was momentarily stunned at that question. Seconds seemed to drag on as he sorted his thoughts. Perhaps that extraordinary confidence was starting to influence him, Arthur swallowed and nodded his head with a serious look. "Of course." He had no idea what made him say that but he supposed it wasn't a bad thing. The wheat head gave a satisfied smirk in response before turning to the others in that room.

"Can we do that as a kingdom?" There were many exchanges of looks however, there seemed to be a general consensus amongst the members. "Yes, Your Majesty. We'll do our best and ensure our victory!"

* * *

><p>The session went on in details of war matters and slowly proceeded to internal problems which were not of the highest priority at that moment. They had a small break before getting prepared to leave for the city. Their palace, contrary to popular belief, was located in the countryside rather than the city. While the highlights of the city were the war memorial of years back, the peace halls and the grand church, the countryside had the royal palace. Royals of the past believed if it was built in this way, poorer citizens would have a chance of bringing their matters to court without having to spend too much in getting to the city. Also anyone seen to be amassing power and influencing court decisions was deemed as treason.<p>

"Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesties." The nobles thanked the pair before taking their leave through the door. The Jack was still conversing with several of them with financial problems over the droughts in Dimensions 6 and 10. Arthur looked on as Yao communicated with such authority with the subjects. Maybe he was slightly envious of that confidence; it made him felt unsure of himself.

"You'll get used to it, don't worry." A hand landed on his shoulder. "Yao's been Jack for quite a long while. He's really good so you don't have to compare yourself with him. Besides, you're doing great." A smile crept onto Arthur's face and warmed his heart. Alfred was trying to be sweet. But how did read his mind? It made Arthur think if his expressions gave his thoughts away. "Nah, it didn't, I guessed it. By the way, I won our little game my Queen. Now give me my rewards." The young King grinned brightly at his spouse. His arms snaked around Arthur's slender waist. The former leaned in for a kiss but was stopped short by his husband's hands. Fingers covered his mouth and managed to hold Alfred back. He could feel the force on his hands pushing forward towards him and the hands around his waist pushing him forward against Alfred's body.

"Ack, w-wait, wait! I don't even know what game it is. How do I know if I lost?" The Queen was quick to defend himself. He wasn't about to admit his loss without knowing how he lost.

"I thought I said it just now. I was betting that I could convince you to be sure of our ability as well as those at the session. And I did, so I won." He leaned in once more but was stopped again. He pouted subsequently. "When was that said?! I don't recall you saying that! No, wait, you didn't say anything!" Arthur subconsciously inched his head backwards to keep a healthy distance. All the response he got was a slightly disappointed face from the pseudo-American. The dull gaze from the other was making Arthur feel slightly uncomfortable, it was as if it was his fault.

"I-It's not my fault. You didn't say anything, idiot…" Arthur looked to the side and sighed. God damn him and his soft spot. "A-alright you wi-..!" Before he could even finish the sentence, strong fingers pried one of his hands away from where they were previously at. The force was rather big and the Brit felt like he was pulled forward to meet the other's lips. Arthur's left arm was trapped between their bodies while his right was held by Alfred. A passionate kiss was delivered. Both parties were looking into each other's eyes. A watery mix of shades of green stared right into the sparkle hidden behind that ocean of blue. Arthur felt like he was drowning, it was getting harder to breath since the younger refused to let him escape. "Nhh.." Arthur grabbed at his partner's wrists when he found the other sliding his finger down his sensitive neck and tugging at his neckcloth. The King smiled cheekily into the kiss at that futile resistance. He looked on as his Queen's eyes narrowing dangerously at him, seemingly saying, "Stop that, you git."

He did stop, satisfied of the reactions he'd gotten and also, somewhat scared of what the older is capable of doing. No matter how hard he tried, it seems teasing Arthur made his heart flutter most of the times. The feelings were pretty hard to suppress. They broke apart but their eyes still locked in gaze. "Hey now," The wheat-head cupped both his partner's cheeks. "You do know the sign will start to fade if we don't constantly do something to make us believe in each other, right? And our powers will fade with it too right?"

"How am I supposed to believe in you with a kiss?" He questioned. Alfred shrugged. "Maybe it's trusting your body with me or something." Arthur jaw hung open slightly from the response. "Huh?" He uttered in disbelief.

"Alfred, Arthur, the carriages are ready. When you're ready, we'll head out." The Asian Jack called out to the both of them. The call snapped the two out of their conversation. Both of them recollected their thoughts and answered almost simultaneously. "I'm ready." The pair looked at each other, puzzled. "Let's go." Yao quirked a brow. "Another unison response? Seems like you're getting along well, aru. I've been told about your signs and have witness them myself. Whatever you did, next time warn me before hand. I havn't caught a wink of sleep just worrying about explaining everything, aru." He gave an involuntary yawn.

Arthur noticed the dark circles around the Jack's eyes. He must have been up all night trying to convince himself to convince the officials. He too was up all night. He couldn't sleep with someone beside him so he spent the time trying to sneakily read up on Spade's finance allocation and recent news just to keep up with Yao. But because he read in the bedroom instead of the study, half the time was spent on making sure the candle is bright enough and that he hadn't woken Alfred up. Part of the reason why he didn't switch rooms was that he didn't want unnecessary rumours of the new couple sleeping in separate rooms. He remembered falling asleep on the table but awoke in the bed. He reckoned it was Alfred who carried him back into bed. Contrary to Arthur's belief, Alfred was also awake the entire time. He kept his eyes closed but he knew what was going on around him. He took occasional peeks at Arthur's back just to check on him and was quick to close his eyes when Arthur did the same. He found Arthur's back-view attractive. It wasn't because of physical beauty, but it was the natural determination and concentration the man had to outdo himself. And Alfred knew, his Queen's heart was here with the Kingdom. When the Brit finally fell asleep, Alfred felt relieved. The worry seemed to end with his sleeping form. He tucked his husband in for the night and gave him a light kiss on the side of his head.

None of the three royals of Spades slept properly and by the time they reached the Peace halls, they'd have been mistaken as the three zombies of Spades. All three looked shagged and tired from the long ride. The King sandwiched his face with his palm in attempt to slap himself awake. The Queen pinched the bridge of his nose to ease a throbbing headache while pressing against his stomach to suppress the effects of motion sickness. While the Jack popped an extremely sour plum into his mouth to keep awake, holding his fists tight to resist the overwhelming sourness. None of them were in the right condition to do anything productive yet, the three immediately got better the moment they saw the doors leading to the meeting chamber. The tall doors were decorated with intertwining vines and angels holding up luminous jewels, spreading their wings right across the doors. The three of them exchanged looks and took breaths to calm themselves down. Then, the doors were pushed open.

"The Royals of Kingdom of Spades have arrived." The announcement filled the room, accompanied by the loud creaking of the doors. Immediately, many heads turn towards their direction. Arthur noticed that most faces weren't as friendly as last night. The Brit could feel his skin soak up that atmosphere as he slid off his coat. Arthur and Alfred had to remove their coats as a form of respect to the other kingdoms. They were folded neatly and hung over the back of the chair. Alfred pulled out Arthur's seat with a smile before dropping back to something serious. An unreadable expression was on his face as he walked over to his seat.

"I guess we all know what we're here for." All of the attention fell on the well-built Hearts King. "But before that, I propose a game of chess with the King of Spades. And if time permits, I'd like one with the Queen as well."

There were silent exchanges of thoughts before the mentioned Spade royalty uttered, "I accept your challenge." Green eyes tried to connect with black ones behind their King's back. Arthur was worried. He was so worried, he nearly wanted to pull his King back, calm him down before declaring that the whole situation was a joke. But, he knew, they were both serious. He looked on as a chess set formed from empty space. "I hope you like the chess set I made, veh~" The happy-go-lucky Jack of Hearts chimed on completion of the set. He was probably the only one not bothered by the tense atmosphere within the room. Many moves were done before Alfred questioned. "What is the meaning of this, King Ludwig?"

Seconds seemed to drag on as Ludwig picked up his Queen piece and admired its design. "Don't you think that war is nothing but a game of chess? We've all got pawns, bishops, knights, rooks and a Queen. We Kings are in command but with limited power. We are essential to winning, yet we seldom confront our enemies. Our Queens, however, are the most powerful pieces in the game, eating away at the enemies defenses. But we cannot sacrifice them for anything less than our opponent's Queen. Your Jack seems to be more like a rook while my Jack, a bishop." The King of Hearts picked up the black rook and set it on G6 on the board. "Check."

_"Their thoughts are similar…"_ The Englishman's brows knitted in the middle. He vaguely remembered the time where he had a few games of chess with Alfred. Those blue eyes never left the chess pieces until the last piece was played. Alfred would look at him with a serious look each time he checkmated. And the Queen would look away from that powerful gaze while perspiration rolled down the side of his head. The Brit was an excellent player, winning many competitions when he was younger. He'd found himself a worthy player. The last game they played was memorable. The King had him cornered and there was no other way out. Arthur frowned while squeezing his brains for a plan. In order to save his King, he needed to sacrifice his Queen; and this late in the game, sacrificing the Queen was not a wise choice. A hand broke his train of thoughts. He snapped backwards, surprised as the other picked up his Queen piece. "War in this world is like this game of chess. We sacrifice pawns, rooks, bishops and ultimately the Queen to win." His eyes stared right into Arthur's intensely. He then kissed the chess piece between his fingers, eyes fixated on Arthur.

"I'd never sacrifice the Queen or anyone else for anything even if it means my death."

Arthur swallowed subconsciously, the same way he did under that tense atmosphere. His lips parted, but before he could speak, the Blue King reached out his hand angrily. Frankly, Arthur had never seen him that furious before – even though it wasn't a long time since they know each other.

Alfred gritted his teeth. He took his white knight, replacing the black rook. "Uncheck. You may be hiding behind your line of pawns but I'm out there fighting; fighting with my people and my Queen. He's not alone, I wouldn't allow that. I'm not alone. I'll protect myself and lead my army to victory. Just you see. Everything's not just a game played by the suits. If you see this as just a game and that lives mean nothing to you, please see yourself out, King Ludwig." His furious blue eyes narrowed at the figure in front of him. How could he be so heartless? He treated everyone as pawns of a silly game.

"Our main objective for today is to talk about peace. Let's not disrupt the delicate harmony and balance of Trumps." The red King of Hearts maintained a poker face.

"Said the ones who started this entire situation." Arthur retorted. He couldn't help but feel irritated at that righteousness Ludwig showed when they were in the wrong. Then again, what was wrong or right was purely subjective.

"We did that because you were not making the least to comply with what we proposed." The Hearts Queen justified and defended their stand on the matter.

"What you're saying is if we do not follow your orders, we're deemed as disrupting the balance of the world. What sort of contorted nonsense are you saying? You're not the ones having the world under control." Angry brows knitted in the middle, hands positioned furiously to prove the point.

"When we win the war, we'll have it under control." The deep voice from the King of Hearts rolled across the room. Silence engulfed the entire room adding to the tense atmosphere that was already threatening to collapse under stress.

"That's despicable! I won't allow that!" Infuriated expressions flashed across the young King's face. He stared at their counterparts darkly.

"Perhaps we should see this world more as a game of poker than chess. Whoever has the better hand wins. Whoever looses any one of their royal flush doesn't stand a chance, especially when the Queen is new and an amateur." Blue eyes of the Red King stared fixated at the Englishman. The stare was making Arthur feel uncomfortable and awkward. It was as though he was piercing through the Spade Queen's being. Arthur maintained a straight face and retained eye contact with Ludwig. Alfred caught a glimpse of the emotions building in the antagonist's eyes – the wish to destroy his Queen. Of course, he wouldn't allow that. "Ludwig, let's not forget that your Queen is also an Ace. If Kiku falls, you'd lose two of your hand. And what makes you think Arthur would fall? He's capable."

"May I remind you that your previous 'capable' Ace fell to me?" The voice came from the usually reserved Queen of Hearts. He gave a small chuckle, seemingly delighted at that fact. "I wonder how yours would fare this time, not to mention a meagre Queen."

Arthur could feel two pairs of eyes narrow at the raven. He could also see from the corner of his eye that Yao physically tensed up at that statement. The already dense tension was threatening to explode. The room remained silent as the suits of the other kingdoms felt the oppressing atmosphere. "Let's talk this over calmly." The Diamond King offered peacefully. "We'll call for an adjournment here and resu-"

Alfred slammed his palm against the table. The entire room's attention fell on him.

"There's no need to do so."

Yao and Arthur looked at him intently as he stood up and began walking towards. Subconsciously, both the other two royals of Spades followed, understanding his intentions.

"This is pointless. If you want war, we'll give you war. The next time we meet, we'll meet on the battlefield." He grabbed his coat and put it on before opening the doors and heading out. The Spade Queen and Jack gave glances over their shoulders back into the room, looking carefully at everyone's reaction. A mix of amusement, worry, nonchalance and delight were all that Arthur could gather. The statement Alfred made earlier was an outright declaration of war. The talk didn't go well at all. It didn't even last for an hour before the King of Spades walked out on it. _"How am I going to account for this?"_ Arthur sighed softly. The carriage shook a little as an angry foot landed on its footplate. "Ridiculous." Alfred let out some pent-up anger as he plopped down onto his seat.

"Alfred, I think it's unwise of you to just walk out of this talk. You should've waited to see what happens next." The Englishman stated.

"Oh you think so? I think we shouldn't. Clearly, Hearts wants this war. I didn't see the point in talking further if all they want is a war."

"He's right aru, they wanted a war to weaken us. But you came along as they were preparing, aru. I thought they'd back down with their intentions but, it seems they're going along with it nonetheless. Those bastards…" The usually calm Jack gritted his teeth in frustration. "They've already snatched my brother from me. Now they're after our Kingdom. What's next? The world?"

The other two present briefly exchanged looks. Arthur briefly remembered his talk with his King regarding their Jack. The current Queen and Ace of Hearts used to be Yao's brother. Yao's family was large and many of them weren't blood related. Some were adopted because their parents loved children. After they passed away, Yao, being the eldest, had to take care of the entire family. His siblings were obedient and often helped him with household chores. But the day when he returned home to find his house wrecked, his nightmare began.

There, in the middle of all the wreckage, stood the second eldest of the family, with a katana in his hand. Blood was dripping from the edges of the sword. His other siblings lay around in small pools of blood. Some were desperately gasping for air while others were already unconscious. He swallowed, shaking his head thinking all that was merely a harsh nightmare. He knew it wasn't the case when his beloved brother turned around staring at him with a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes.

"Kiku…?" He reached out a hand instinctively, trying to convince himself that that wasn't real.

A swish followed by a splash of blood on the floor was heard as the sword sliced across Yao's chest. Yao's pupils dilated. The pain was only registered many seconds after the initial shock subsided. The next thing Yao remembered was waking up in the palace after being rescued by the then King. After knowing his other siblings were rescued and treated, Yao let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. A wave of relief washed over him but the trauma wasn't over. He naively thought the person who attacked him that day was someone pretending to be his younger brother. But the solid truth hit him like speeding truck. When he first greeted the Queen of Hearts on the day of his coronation, his heart stopped. His pupils dilated at who he was seeing. Flashbacks of that bloody night came back, haunting his bewildered mind. The Hearts Queen merely smiled and gave a bow as if nothing had happened. Yao held a tight grip on his pants to control and subdue his emotions upon realizing the true nature of his ex-brother.

Silence casted its net over the three of them. Only the rhythmic trot of horses and the running of wheels were heard. As the palace came into sight out of one of the windows, Arthur tried to start a conversation. "A-ah, the weather is delightful today, isn't it?" He mentally cursed himself for saying that lame line which made the atmosphere even more awkward. _"Oh god, please kill me now."_ He thought, though it was true. The sun was exceptionally bright and the winds were pleasant – a good sign for the start of his reign. Back in England, it was pretty rare to see a bright and clear sky and to be honest, he didn't mind either weather. He shifted uneasily before someone actually replied.

"Yea it is. Everyday will be sunny when you're with me, my love." Blue eyes stared longingly into green ones. Arthur's hand was lifted to meet his King's lips. A light kiss was planted on his fingers. Arthur's follow-up reaction was to use his free hand to karate-chop his husband's head. "Ow! Why the heck did you hit me for?!" It took him several seconds to realize what he'd done. His pupils widened in shock and he quickly apologized. "Ooh I'm so sorry I-I don't know what possessed me to do that. Are you ok?" He did hit the pseudo-American quite hard, so hard that the latter sniffed and held back a tear. He pouted as the Brit massaged the aching spot on his head. The Jack looked on while suppressing his laughter. "Hahaha! I like that reflex of yours, ahen! It is hilarious!" The pair watched as Yao finally burst into laughter, holding onto his stomach. They looked at each other and grinned in unison.

Arthur was glad it turned out to be some mood lifter. He dreaded that choking atmosphere. It was like getting that huge weight off his chest. Looking at that smiling face of his King, he couldn't help but wonder if he understood Arthur's intentions and played along with it. The entire trip back to the palace was a long one but as soon as the laughter ceased, the trio began devising strategies for the war. "It's time we contact our allies. I'm sure Diamonds is on our side. Hearts did make it clear back then they wanted world domination. First they need money and Diamonds has lots of them." Yao continued. "Knowing Francis, he'd send Vash to talk to us some time later in the palace. The problem now is Clubs. We don't know where they stand. If they join forces with Hearts, this could be a hard fight."

"There's no fight we can't win." The young King interrupted.

"That's your pride talking, love. I know Spades hasn't lost a war yet and there's no reason this won't be the first. We need to assess this with a clear mind." Arthur rested his knuckles against his lips. "Yao, you said Ivan stopped you from helping us during the attack right? I don't know about you but something's fishy."

"Ivan means no harm. He's probably making it look like it was planned so we have a reason to cook up for the unexpected visitor."

"Yea right, says who? For all you know he could be the one who sent that thing. He's always against whatever I say in the Annual Trump Meeting. And his Kingdom lost to ours back then. It's not strange to find him as the mastermind. I bet he secretly wants us dead."

"That's prejudice, Alfred. What have I taught you? Never judge a bo-"

"Never judge a book by its cover right? It's not like I want to. Have you seen how creepy that guy is? And his words! They're all laced with poison and dripping with sarcasm."

"He's not what you think. And also never bring in disputes from the previous court! Always think of peace!" Yao snapped. Both of them were glaring at each other, threatening to explode.

"Hey now, we're all gentlemen. Calm down. There's no need to-"

"Arthur, you stay out of this."

"That's right, eyebrows, stay out of this or you'll get hurt, ahen."

Suddenly, the surrounding air temperature dropped. It got to a chilling degree and caused the two who were fighting to whip their heads towards the source. They came face to face with a glowering Queen. He looked at both of them darkly. Those emerald eyes seem to glint several shade darker in an intense stare. Icicles started forming in the carriage and on their coats. The King covered his mouth with his hands immediately, seemingly realizing his mistake while the Jack swallowed audibly as a droplet of sweat froze midway from the side of his head.

"You were saying?" The pair in question shook their heads vigorously. "Wonderful." A snap of fingers made the icicles shatter into powder-like crystals. They danced and shimmered beautifully as the late afternoon sun shone on them. They caught Alfred's attention. He noted that Arthur looked attractive with that serious face when he was thinking. The glistering particles just added to the effect. Oh and that silly embarrassed face his husband makes when he realized Alfred's attention was on him. Arthur shut his eyes to ignore the pair of eyes on him. He thought it was unlike Yao to defend someone to that extend. His heart wanted to believe his Jack but his mind told him to discuss that wisely. "How sure are you to convince Clubs to stand on our side?"

"I'm quite sure about convincing Ivan. It's Elizaveta and Roderich I'm worried about. The King doesn't have the final say if the court isn't in agreement, ahen." Yao stated. "I fear they're both in favour of supporting Hearts. Their army isn't as strong as what it used to be but they're well-known for survivorship in harsh conditions. If the war drags on, they have the upper hand."

"Diamonds wouldn't want to spend too much on this war or at least that's what Vash thinks. He wouldn't want to take sides if it wasn't for that alliance contract we have with them. Though Francis would still want to help us privately." Alfred gave a frown. "I'm not fond of forming an alliance with Clubs."

"We have no choice do we? The only way to get to Hearts is by the sea or through Clubs. They'll be expecting us by the sea. It's hard to have a breakthrough." Arthur tapped onto his own lips. "Arrange a tea session for me and King Ivan. I want to have a light chat over these few days. There's something odd about the Jack's expressions earlier when we walked out of the talks. The Queen, being his wife would more or less be in cahoots with him. Ivan had a frown on his face. Ahh and when King Francis sends Jack Vash, I want to be there as well." Yao nodded lightly in acknowledgement.

"I'll go too. I'm worried about your safety. Ivan isn't exactly the best person to talk to." Alfred grabbed his Queen's hand tightly. Arthur placed his free one over Alfred's and spoke, "Nothing to worry about. I can take care of myself." The carriage gradually came to a halt. "But-!" The youngest protested before he was cut off. "No buts." The door opened and they were all ushered out by their attendants. Yao checked the menu for that night's dinner before ordering some to prepare a notice for court officials to gather for dinner and a hot bath for himself.

"Mei, tell the servants to prepare a hot bath for His Majesty. He must be tired from all the travelling." Arthur instructed before loosening his stiff muscles from the long ride. He thought it'd be a good idea since Yao was doing the same. "What about you, Your Grace?" She awaited for further instructions. "I-I will do that la-"

"He'll be taking the bath with me. Remember to put those blue rose petals and pour us some dandelion wine. That's all, you are dismissed." His _'beloved'_ King interrupted.

"Understood. I'll take my leave." She bowed and left while suppressing a snicker. "A-ah! Wait!" The Brit called out for his attendant and sighed before shifting his attention to the grinning King. "Marvelous…" He crossed his arms in front of him as the figure who was leaning against him rest his hands on his shoulder. "We're still newly married and it's supposed to be honeymoon right now. I'm sorry I can't give you a proper honeymoon. We'll go on one when the war's over ok?" Alfred continued grinning. "Right now let's give your back a rest."

Alfred landed his hand on Arthur's lower back gently. A light pat heard from impact. "Aack-!" Arthur fell one step forward as a sharp pain travel up and down his back. Arthur's expression was all jumbled up. He, himself didn't think it'd be this bad after that long ride. His right hand grabbed onto the fabric of Alfred's coat and balled into a tight fist as his knees started to give way. Alfred panicked. He merely gently touched Arthur's back. "Oh my god, are you ok? I'll get you to the physician. Matthew!" A figure started to fade in from mid air. Arthur watched in amazement. "What is it, Alfred?" The ghostly figure asked.

"Get the physician to my chambers. Arthur's back problem is worse than we thought." The younger of the two ordered. With a quick nod, the figure turned into mist and vanished. The Englishman watched as Alfred crouched down. Arthur felt an arm reach the back of his knees and a hand supporting his back before he was swept off his feet. "Woah?!" He let out a yelp in surprise. He hooked his right arm around Alfred's neck instinctively to prevent his fall. "Don't worry I won't let you fall." A simple sentence, yet there were so many meanings if one were to look into it. Arthur felt his heart skip a few beats. _"This is the worst._" He thought to himself. He couldn't ignore his feelings for that idiot King if they kept surfacing. He felt a little down. He didn't want to start something knowing it'd end soon. He leaned into Alfred's coat and held onto it, cursing at himself. Alfred probably understood the body language and didn't question it. He simply held his Queen closer and made a sprint towards their shared chambers.

He was placed gently on his back. Their eyes met for a while before shifting awkwardly away. The physician bowed respectfully before proceeding to checking on Arthur. He casted a spell and a book with a quill pen materialized in mid-air. He stared into the Queen's eyes and muttered to himself before asking him to lift his set of shirt and waistcoat. The King looked on concerned. There was a giant bruise of the wrong colour just slightly left of his lower back. It wasn't there the last time Alfred looked at it. The physician examined it closely, describing it out loud. The quill scribbled words vigorously. "I apologise before hand but please bare with me for a while longer, Your Grace. Your Majesty, would you please be prepared to help His Grace if the pain is unbearable." Alfred nodded and sat down on the other side of the bed, holding onto his Queen's hand. "_Is it going to be that pain-!"_ His thoughts were cut short.

**"FUAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"**

Alfred felt the grip tighten around his fingers. It almost felt like Arthur was squeezing them off and pushing them down so hard against the mattress. An equal magnitude of force was applied in his features. Teeth gritted tightly before the Brit couldn't help but let out another chain of screams. "AHAAck-AHHHHH ALFRED! MY FUCKING BLOODY HELL! ALFRED HELP!" The shrieks echoed through the walls and cause some degree of discomfort to many working in the palace. Everyone looked towards the direction of the source worrying for their new Queen. Then, there was silence. Arthur had passed out. "I've managed to remove the poison. I've encountered this only once in Clubs. The Queen's clan used to lace their weapons with it. It's a very slow neurotoxin, if it spreads, His Grace may be paralysed forever. The extraction is painful because it tends to associate with pain sensors. He should be fine now." The physician remarked. "I'll order the medicine to be brought in after it's been made." Alfred nodded. "Thank you. Oh is it ok for him to lie on his back?"

"Please let the wound dry, in case there's any left over. When this toxin comes into contact with air after affecting a person, it'll gradually turn into something harmless. Please excuse me." The physician packed and prepared to leave by the door. Alfred turned over and watch as his partner's back rise and fall from even breathing. It felt like he had one less burden and his face looked tranquil. He brushed a few strands of hair out of Arthur's face before letting out a sigh. "Is Arthur going to be alright?" Tiny voices filled with worry sounded right beside his ear. "He's hurt by those bastards who want this war. I'll make sure they pay." Slender brows furrowed in the middle.

Those tiny voices did not respond but instead, they exchanged looks, seemingly understanding the King's fury. "Alfred, Alfred. Don't let anger get ahead of you. Vengeance breeds vengeance." The little creatures flapped their wings. From afar, they looked like balls of wisps. They're the fairies that taught the ways of magic to humans. To see a fairy, one must have a small degree of understanding toward magic. Alfred was taught some of that but never really excelled in it. He was able to summon inanimate metallic objects whenever he needed with ease but never anything living or natural. In his case, he could only see Metal fairies. They were clad in armor and had metallic looking wings. They looked so heavy, though, interestingly light enough for them to levitate. "I know. I'll end this in the most humane way possible." He stood up. "Mother, Father. Please watch over me."

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><p>When Arthur finally woke up, he stumbled around the palace looking for both the Jack and the King of the Kingdom. He finally found them in the pavilion near the late King and Queen's graves. The Brit was pursued by question of his well-being by both royals present. He assured them that he was fine. Yao was still rather against the war and Alfred, too, but the latter reiterated how badly it'd affect his people if they just let Hearts do what they wanted. Then, Matthew appeared out of nowhere yet again. He reported the status of the auxiliaries, weaponries, ships and port license liaising with Diamonds. Apparently, the King of Diamonds and his Jack were coming over for dinner. It was sooner than expected.<p>

"If they are not interested in helping us, then Matty can seduce the King for his support." The pseudo-American laughed heartily only to earn himself a slap on the arm. "We're just acquaintances! Nothing more!" The man had a horrible blush across his face. "That sounds like a plan, aru." Yao played along with the joke, seemingly to lighten the mood. Arthur could tell the princely lord was slightly fond of the King of Diamonds. "Don't tease Lord Matthew. He'll become as red as a tomato soon." He chuckled slightly from behind his teacup.

_"Things had just gotten interestingly complicated…"_ The Brit thought.

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><p><strong>Footnote: You can see I kinda got lazy with following the accent and stuff. And damn it, I ran out of adjectives (that I always use) to use ;|. Remember to msg me if you find mistakes! Anyway Happy 1st Anniversary to NohL! Wow, it's been one year, talk about long... Thank you all those who followed me throughout this journey! And all those wonderful reviewsfavourites that kept me going! This journey is far from over! I'll do my best (hopefully)! Thank you all! Oh and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Treat this as a present (although I think you'd have better) from me! Until next year!**


	11. Allies of Five, Part III

_**Numbers of his Life**_

**Story by:** _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Author's Note:** Special thanks to the anon** Guest** (I would really wana know who omg lol), **HetalianOtakuPride**, **Jywy** and **OldNewLife** for the wonderful reviews! I was over the moon cause of your kind words T_T. Please do enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 5: Allies of Five<em>**

**_Part III: Get going._**

"Are you sure this isn't a bit over?" Arthur took another look at the long dinning table filled with delicious looking food. "I, er. I take back my words. This is way too _exaggerated_." Their normal meals were quite a spread in Arthur's opinion but he'd never expect a dinner of this scale. It was like they had a hundred people eating that meal. "Aiyah, it's perfectly fine! It's to show our hospitality! The servants will know what to do with the leftovers, aru. Don't you worry." The Asian retorted while gesturing the servants to quicken their actions.

"His Majesty, the King of Spades has arrived."

"Ahhh it sure is refreshing after visiting the garden." He stretched his arms in an unruly manner. "Manners, Alfred. A King does not-" The Jack was interrupted. "Yeah yeah, a King does not publically display ill-mannered actions. But the King is also human!" Alfred argued before taking a seat at the end of the long table. "And a role model nonetheless. Talk to me about manners again when you're not King. I'd let you do whatever you want then." The older man waved off the argument and hurried into the kitchen.

Alfred pouted, knowing he'd lost. Soft chuckles were heard from the figure taking a seat beside him. "What's so funny?" The wheat-head maintained that pout and stared at the laughing man. "I just thought your interactions with Yao were adorable. It was like father and son even though your ages aren't that far apart." He knew Alfred did look up to his Jack like a fatherly figure. His father died when he was twelve and he ascended the throne from that age. Yao was probably more of an uncle than a father perhaps. "And help me pack up some of the food so it's hot and not wasted. We can't eat that much. Send them to the servant's dining halls or better yet give them to the homeless." Alfred eyes followed his Queen's movements as the other ordered the men and women stationing around the hall to help. He smiled, knowing his Queen loved their people in his own way. "What're you waiting for? Come here." He shook his thoughts away and helped. And by the time Yao came back, his expression said all he was feeling.

"Alfred and Arthur Kirkland-Jones, Your Royal Majesties of the Kingdom of Spades," An unnerving look was casted in their direction. "Explain this." Their royal Jack crossed his arms with a huff. A stern face told both of them that Yao wasn't going to take any bullshit. "Wow, Yao, I never thought you could make such formal words kill with just the pronunciation and-!" The young King was grabbed from behind. A hand clasped over his mouth to prevent his blabbering nonsense. The owner then laughed awkwardly. "Ahahah, Yao, my hardworking and loyal Jack, this is merely err," Arthur paused, thinking of placing the right words at the right places in his speech. "A kind deed to our citizens! Surely they'd love to taste the wonderful cooking of their royal highness, the Jack of Spades. Since it seems impossible to finish the sumptuous feast, we wished to do ourselves and our suffering citizens a favour…" He was trailing off towards the end, uncertain of his persuasion. "And of course to show how benevolent their rulers are! You wouldn't mind, would you?" Arthur looked on eagerly for sign of acceptance of his 'praising'.

"Hmm, it sounds rather decent. But nonetheless, this feast is for our alliance talk with Diamonds. We must look presentable, ahen." Yao sighed. "You do know how important this is, right? It's a little less well-known but Diamonds is also the Kingdom of Cuisines. And the King is the best chef in Diamonds. We need to impress them somehow."

"No problemo Yao, leave it to me! I'll make the best food ever!" The King's blue eyes sparkled with pride.

"I'd rather you not do that. I don't trust you after that time you almost got Francis killed, aru."

"That time was a fluke! It's totally Eliza's fault! She's not supposed to put dragon bane in that soup! And it's not even poisonous to humans…" The pseudo-American trailed off, looking away and feeling guilty. He earned himself a stare-down from his Jack. "How glorious of you to blame everything on a maid."

"Why do you need to impress them when you're sure Francis will help us?" Arthur asked curiously, seeing as they were already somewhat allies in the war. "It's more like a custom really. A tradition passed down from earlier generations. The amount of sincerity for whichever party seeking an alliance is gauged by their preparation for food and the sheer grandeur of the meal." Yao explained. "Besides, when there's good food and wine. The talking is a lot easier."

"Then, maybe you should let me make a dish. I'm sure what we have in my world is somewhat exotic to yours. Have you heard of scones? It's something like a mix between a cake and bread. Give me around 45 minutes and I can make you some." Both Yao and Alfred gawked at the man with the suggestion. "You can cook?" Alfred naturally blurted the question out. He quickly justified his question when he noticed a slight change in Arthur's expression. "It's not that I think you don't know how, it's just you don't look like you enter the kitchen much?" His sentence somehow ended as another question.

"Rubbish, Alfred. I cook for myself ever since I live alone everyday and I help out with cooking when my parents are still around. Relax, I won't kill that Frog face of a King and his Jack when they're over." The Brit began taking off his outer coat and folding it nicely on the seat he was allocated. "Frog face? Francis will explode if he hears that. But I like that nickname, aru." Yao snickered. "A-ah! It just slipped from my mouth. He just reminds me of people I used to know with his accent. We weren't exactly friendly with them, a-hah." He laughed nervously and scooted into the vast royal kitchen.

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><p>"Is this supposed to be delicious?" The King raised his brow at the half eaten scone. His Jack eyed his piece suspiciously. "O-of course! It's a local specialty back at home! It's just, I burnt it a little. It still taste good."<p>

"Well, it kinda taste alright to me." Alfred replied, still munching on the snack.

"It's unique." Yao chewed a bit longer and rolled the food back and forth in his mouth. "Francis might like the buttery texture. But I'm sure he'd frown at the appearance and the bitter burnt taste." He licked his lips a little to savour the taste. "I think the aftertaste of fruits isn't that bad."

_"They like it!"_ Arthur thought as his heart fluttered with joy. It wasn't often someone complimented his culinary skills and his brothers just loved to say his food taste like shit. His colleagues? Well, he didn't have the confidence to offer them his food since theirs were great. The opening of the door to the kitchen grabbed everyone's attention. The man stepping into the kitchen bowed. The Brit recognized the man. He was the Captain of the Royal Knights and was part of the Honour Knights during the ceremony. He was dressed down a little but still clad in armor.

"Your Majesties, Your Highness, my sincere apology in interrupting your conversation but the Royals of Diamonds have arrived. My men have brought them to the waiting room. The Princely lord is entertaining them at the moment. Shall I have them escorted to the dining hall?"

Since the person who came to report belonged to the Knights Order, it was expected that the Queen reply with an order. Arthur exchanged looks with his King and Jack, asking for their opinions. Both of the latter nodded their heads. "Leon, was it? I'll go with you. The King and Jack will welcome them from here. Lead the way." Arthur ordered and proceeded out. The knight gestured the way from behind the Queen. They eventually reached the waiting room and the heavy doors clicked open.

"Your majesty," Matthew stood and greeted the Queen.

"I'm terribly sorry for the wait. Let me officially welcome you for dinner. This way, please." The Queen led the way, trying not to get lost in his palace. _"Finally."_ He exclaimed in his mind, taking note of his appearance in front of guests. The knights pushed open the door. Chandelier lights begin flooding the hallway. The whole room felt different from when he last left it.

"Ooolala, a grand feast spread across the table, just for us?" A smooth voice sounded from behind them. "Ahh and I see a new dish! Très bien!" Arthur stepped aside while the trio approached the table.

"Welcome, Kingdom of Diamonds." Alfred smiled dashingly as he moved to snake an arm around his Queen's waist while Yao bowed to the King and Queen of Diamonds respectfully. After which, he ushered the three royals to their seats before going to his own. The blue King pulled out the chair for his Queen before heading to his which was right in the middle of the long table. The elder brother of the Spades King excused himself from the room. Arthur did notice Francis stare longingly at the leaving figure. His attention was brought back after the doors closed behind the princely lord.

"Thank you for being able to make it." The American started as appetizers were served by the maids. "Diamonds is always there to support Spades when we need the help."

"Oui, spare me the formality Alfred. Spades and Diamonds have always been friends. It's a known fact." The French King munched on the salad-looking appetizer.

"It's obvious to the other Kingdoms that we're helping you." Vash added. "If not for our Kingdoms' alliance, I wouldn't need to offer help."

"You shouldn't say that, Vash. If we go down, they'll eventually reach you, aru." Yao retorted.

"Unfortunately." The Jack of Diamonds crossed his arms. "There're only four mains Kingdoms and many small indigenous tribes and no real way we could stay neutral for a long time. I'd rather cooperate with Spades then get ordered around by Hearts. One word of advice though, their Jack is no pushover. If you think he's weak, then think again."

"I reckoned materialising things from air says it all, don't it." Arthur stared in Vash's direction. "I can felt the magical pressure he was emitting. Frankly, it is far from weak." The Jack of Diamonds closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm glad someone was observant enough to realize it."

"Queen Arthur, I heard you were wounded from Mei. Are you alright?" The meek Queen of Diamonds asked. "The Queen of Clubs' poison is known to kill someone slowly. I have a remedy written by my mother. Would you like to have it to fully recover?"

Then, the room was silent. Not a single sound from cutlery scraping the plates, not a single sound from the eating. Arthur could only stare at his Diamond counterpart. _"How did she know?"_ was all that was on all three of their minds. If Arthur recalled correctly, even Mei didn't know about him wounded by Clubs' poison unless… He barely opened his mouth to accuse the Queen of masterminding the whole situation before getting held down by Yao. Yao gave him a frown and a light shake of his head. He gritted his teeth and looked away, feeling a little injustice. Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Alfred decided to laugh the matter off. "Hahaha, that'd be nice, Queen Lily. Have some of that beef, it's good." He turned to the Brit, indicating his disapproval. Arthur wore a slight frown and eyed suspiciously between Lily and Francis. He was sure something fishy was going on, he'd have that checked with Mei later. Then came the desserts. The scones were served as part of the dessert and Arthur was teaching them how to consume it. It was rather well-received and Francis was complimenting its novelty.

"Regarding the marionette, I assure you it wasn't any of us." Francis mentioned as he took another bite off the creamed scone. "Like you, I'd like to find the culprit."

"The leads so far all pointed to Diamonds. The real culprit is rather conscious and careful. Hopefully, we find something else along the way."

"Ahh I see, thank you Alfred," The Yellow King continued. "With that aside, Diamonds will continue supporting Spades in the coming war but you have to promise me to end this quickly. My ministers hate to see debts accumulating and my dear Vash will murder me if I overspend the war budget." A handkerchief dapped across the King's mouth. "While we're here, let us sign the alliance treaty to safeguard both our interests. I'm sure it's already been drafted, non?" Obviously, he directed the question at Arthur. He waved his hand in the air and summoned ghastly birds from the smoke arising from the burning firewood in the fireplace. It carried with it the drafted treaties and unrolled them in front of the royals. Signatures were signed on the indicative lines on both copies. The birds rolled up the scrolls and placed them into the hands of respective Kings before disappearing with a faint scent of pinewood. "It has been a pleasant dinner, Alfred. Thank you for having us." The Diamond trio gave slight bows and curtsy before heading out of the palace.

After bidding farewell to the trio, Arthur turned to his King and Jack and interrogated the two. "Why did you stop me?" The two exchanged looks and sighed. "Let's just put it as Lily can identify wounds, illness and the cause just by looking even when the wound is healed." Yao explained. "It's a gift that Francis doesn't want any others to know." Arthur looked stunned while absorbing the information. Then, his brows furrowed into a frown. "Don't you feel naked, that way? I-I mean somehow she sees through the clothes and spots the wound right?" There were moments of awkward silence and the three of them were lost for words. Instinctively, the Brit clutched the collars of his coat closer to hide whatever he had under and the wheat-head looked away in embarrassment. Yao cleared his throat. "Coming back to our topic tonight, remember to keep that treaty in your vault, Alfred; and also you should spend the rest of the night preparing that talk with Ivan tomorrow, aru." He gave the Queen a light squeeze on his right shoulder. "Arthur will help him right?" Arthur nodded in reply, recollecting his thoughts from the discussion earlier.

_"Ivan would be tough to handle."_ He thought as he followed Alfred back to their chambers. "What can I say to convince him…?" He muttered a monologue as he kept walking, ignoring his surroundings effectively. A powerful tug pulled him back to Trump and into the arms of his young King. "Oof." He collided head-on onto the other's chest. Rubbing his now painful nose, he looked up at Alfred. "Arthur, are you back in Spades now? Geez, you just kept walking. By the way, our bedroom is that way." Apparently, Alfred was already changing out of his formal clothes. He paused midway and realized his Queen wasn't behind him. He panicked a little, running out of the room and frantically looking for his partner in the hallways. When Alfred finally found him, he was walking towards underground dungeons. The Spades Queen apologized after realizing where he was. He ignored most of the servants' bows and addresses along the way, submerged in his own world of thoughts.

"Arthur, get changed so we can get started on discussion." There wasn't any response – just the man trapped deep in thought.

"I'm gonna help you change, alright?"Alfred stated as he started working on the buttons of the other's waistcoat and successfully pulled off the butterfly bow that was protecting his Queen's neck. He kept a questioning expression and peeked occasional glances at his husband. After he was done, another row of buttons laid waiting on his inner shirt. Frankly, his patience was running shallow and he was really annoyed by whoever designed their clothes. One couldn't freaking take them off fast enough and dive right into bed without having to worry about popping any of those buttons. And by the way, did he mention about those boots Arthur was wearing? They looked hideously frustrating get off. Look at all those interlacing shoelaces; did anyone need that much 'network of scaffolding' laces? Much to Alfred's dismay, they were a pair of freakishly annoying boots.

"I have an idea on how to get that treaty signed." Arthur blurted as he grabbed onto Alfred's arms, effectively knocking the latter out of his world of fashion judgment. "I'm confident I can convince Ivan." Arthur leaned closer to his King enthusiastically. His eyes sparkled with so much joy; it was nearly child-like. Alfred's lips thinned into a small awkward smile. "I'm glad you thought of something but, could you let go of me for now? I need to finish helping you err, undress?" He put on an awkward smile. Arthur blinked though seconds later, he could feel heat rising from his cheeks when he realized he was nearly half-naked. He jumped a few steps away and grabbed whatever clothes he had left to cover whatever skin he was showing. "Since-? I-You?! I w-will undress myself!" He turned around. "Don't l-look, idiot!"

"Ok fine fine. I'm won't, alright?" The younger of the duo resisted the urge to roll his eyes and sighed at how 'cute' the man he was married to could be at times. Honestly, he was glad. He reached over and hugged his Queen from behind as the latter was done with changing. "Don't be an idiot, let go of me." Alfred pouted slightly. "I'm tired; Queeny drag me to bed, will ya?"

_"Queeny?"_ Arthur thought. _"Another one of those nicknames again, huh?"_ He shrugged, submitting to his fate of never being called his real name outside of formal meetings. He nudged the deadweight hanging over his shoulders, asking him to move away. Knowing it wasn't going to go away, he needed another tactic.

"Are we going to discuss in our dreams?" Arthur turned to face the owner of the arms around him. He fingered a button on his partner's clothes playfully and looked up at him shyly. "Or are we going to discuss this over bed?" Arthur leaned in slightly more. Alfred swallowed audibly as he stared down at the Queen-turned-seductress. He reckoned no one in the kingdom would have eyes as widely open as his at that point in time. "I-I arh. Arthur…" His breath hitched as he felt the other's breath mixing with his own. Arthur observed the other's minute facial movements and his barely audible groan. A few fleeting moments later, the Englishman broke out into a laughing fit. "Pfft-haha honestly, you believed that? That's bloody hilarious! Get your mind out of the gutters, lad." He left the embrace of the other and proceeded to the writing desk to skim through papers-worth of information. The pseudo-American tried maintained a poker face, slightly disappointed in the abrupt change.

"Clubs has been in a love-hate relationship with nearly all the kingdoms. But it's probably the worse with Hearts. That dispute it had with Hearts over southeastern lands maybe that's the point we want to tackle." Alfred suggested. He was not entirely interested in getting help from them, but he knew it would be essential. "Or we can threaten them with the money we contribute annually to their reconstruction efforts."

"We could, but I was thinking of something more personal, more hmm, how do I describe it? You'll see what I mean when tomorrow comes." Arthur smiled. If only he could get Yao to help in persuading. The Club King and him go way back in their relationship. "But for now, bed would be great."

"Where's my good night kiss?"

"Shouldn't you be kissing me?"

"I initiate it all the time, it's 'bout time you kiss me first!"

Arthur suppressed his urge to roll his eyes at his husband. "Come here." He approached the side of the bed where the wheat-head was sitting. He bent over slight and leaned in, placing his hands on the other's shoulders as support. The original intention was to land a kiss on Alfred's cheek but somehow, it didn't go according to plan. His lips were trapped right smack on top of Alfred's. A strong hand held down his head and held onto one of his wrists, preventing him from escaping. Arthur's fingers pried at the ones of their counterparts, forcing them to slip out of their strong hold on his back of the head. They broke apart but stayed in an eye-lock.

"Move over, git. You're occupying my spot."

"Don't wana." The young King mused. He pulled his Queen down closer to him. Strong arms wrapped around the lean figure of Arthur. The older of the two traced Alfred's face with his thumbs. "Really now?" He smiled in glee as he watched blue eyes widen in shock. "GYAAAA!" A manly scream echoed in the room as the King pushed his partner aside and tumbled out of bed in attempt to escape. "You need to STOP doing that, holy crap." Alfred demanded, holding back a tear in his eye. "Stop what, love? It's just a little chilly, no?" The Englishman snickered at the temporary lapse. Alfred narrowed at his husband, fuming a little at his abuse of magic. Arthur had made his hands ice cold while resting them on Alfred's cheek as payback or revenge, in Arthur's words. "You're totally evil." Alfred pouted as he climbed back into the bed.

"Yes yes, let the devil tug you in."

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><p>Arthur woke up to a beautiful morning. Birds were chirping loudly, a gentle breeze made the curtains flow gently. Everything was normal. Breakfast was as usual for the three royals with Alfred struggling to stay awake, Arthur sipping on his tea and Yao eating his congee. Or at least what they think. The doors swept open and Leon came rushing in. The three royals at the table looked in his directly sleepily and stoically. "Your Majesties, Your Highness, King Ivan-I, h-he's heading this way as we speak!" The Captain looked flustered and perplexed. The trio exchange looks and thoughts.<p>

"I'll take it from here. Leon, escort His Majesty to the waiting room. Yao, make sure no one from the morning court knows about this." With that, Arthur hurried down hallways to intercept the Clubs King. He found the tall individual walking briskly towards past the junction up ahead. "King Ivan!" He called out to the figure. He did catch Ivan's attention and the latter came to a stop. "Ahh, Queen Arthur. Your servants told me you were having breakfast with your King. Forgive me for not being patient enough." Arthur didn't know whether to consider that as a sincere apology or just being politically polite. "I'm sure it's fine. We've been expecting your arrival, this way please." He carefully picked his words and led the Green King to the waiting room. They entered the room where Alfred greeted them with a cold expression. "Briginski."

"Jones," The Russian accent rolled off his tongue. "Or rather, Kirkland-Jones." His gaze fell on the Queen beside him before returning to Alfred. "My time is precious, Queen Arthur. What is it you wish to talk about?"

"If that's so, I'll cut the talk short." Arthur paced some distance away from the visiting king. "We wish to form an alliance with you." An awkwardly silent atmosphere sunk onto the three of them. Violet eyes casted its gaze on the Brit. They seemed particularly emotionless. It fitted his cold, creepy appearance altogether when those orbs of purple stare down into your soul. He understood why Alfred was 'scared' or rather, against him – in Alfred's words. Then, his eyes curved into a intimidating smile. "You really shouldn't discuss this without my Queen and Jack, little Queen. Talk to me again when you arranged an official meeting. " He turned around and exited the room without turning a hair.

"I-Ivan! King Ivan! Please listen!" Arthur burst out of the room, crying out to the leaving figure.

"What about Natashya?"

The Clubs royal stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to face the Spades duo with an angry frown on his face. At that moment, Arthur knew he hit the bull's eye on Ivan. His little sister was taken away from him by the same people who rule Hearts now. "She was suspected as a Clubs spy and you **_never _**saw her again. Though I have news that she's still alive in that torture tower of Hearts." Arthur stated calmly, while reestablishing his composure. "But I don't suppose the King of Hearts would be that heartless. After all, she's still a sister of a **_friend_**." Arthur picked out specific words to highlight and emphasize, knowing they would possibly provoke any resentment the Russian man had.

"Comrade, I'll be honest with you. She'll be released after Hearts win the war, on the condition that we help them. My Queen and Jack are working on that and-"

"What made you think she'll definitely be released?" Arthur shot down that comment with another question. "What made you think your Queen and Jack are not the masterminds behind this war?" Alfred looked between his Queen and the visiting King. The prolonged stare-down made the atmosphere feel uneasy.

"Tell me, Ivan." Arthur continued, "Tell me, you don't find your Queen and Jack suspicious. Tell me, they didn't try to stop you from coming to meet us. Te-"

"Queen Arthur, you need not say more. I'll give you the answer you want over the next few days." The tall figure interrupted the Brit's persistent hammerings. Corners of lips of all three people present curled up slightly into polite smiles hiding dangerous daggers. The visiting King casted one last glance at the host Queen before heading off hastily towards the exit. Arthur let out a breath he never knew he held while watching the silhouette fade in the distance. The situation was rather tense and he made a risky move desperately.

"Were you trying to distance the royals in Clubs?"

A frank and direct question sounded from right beside him. "It's already divided to begin with, love. Ivan only agreed to meet us because he's as convinced as we are about his Queen and Jack." The blue Queen pinched the bridge of his nose to ease an oncoming headache. "Maybe I pressed on too much. I'm not sure what to deduce from this discussion."

_"There's a chance I might be indirectly starting a civil war in Clubs. Ohh bollocks…"_ Arthur thought. He winced a little at that depressing thought. A civil war within a big one would be disadvantageous to any side especially when it concerned the only land-access to the other warring nations. It may very well be a blessing if they're on the side which was winning, since getting another ally was always welcomed.

"I don't get it. Why would you trust Ivan?"

"You can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest and you shouldn't always trust an honest man." Arthur replied. He quoted a movie he'd watched years ago and it left a rather deep impression. It was hard to tell if Ivan had really bought his offer. However, he believed that a man who cared about his family couldn't be that bad after all. Hopefully, Ivan'd deliver the answer he hoped to get. It'll be the best scenario. The alliance of five important people and their military power would be one of the keys to ending the war desirably.

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><p><strong>Footnote: Happy (very belated) birthday to my friend, OldNewLife and me (though it's rather early)! Totally dedicating this chapter to those born in Jan and Feb! Oo and also Happy Chinese New Year lol! As usual school's killing me, but thank you all for following me through! Next chapter should be the starting of the war - good god like <em>finally<em>... Until then! Cheers!**


	12. Battle of Six, Part I

_**Numbers of his Life**_

**Story by:** _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Author's Note:** Special thanks to the **Froggiecool** (Thank you for the support and understanding and being an awesome fan!), **Randomstrike** (For leaving one review for almost every chapter!), **Jwyw** (For the countless PMs we exchanged and the review!), **aquamarinetiger98** (For the really long review that touched my heart and made me restless all day cause I was having all sorts of feels over the review!), **ssweatm** (For the review and yes, I think there will be character development for him sometime soon!) and finally **OldNewLife** (Yes it's capt Jack. Nope. Not gonna submit to your whims muahahaha but I did add a little fluff maybe? I'm not good at this OTL)

Sorry for the rather short chapter. I promised to get into the war part then I failed to deliver T_T I'm cramped with projects after projects and tests after tests these few weeks so it got rather low on word count, I feel like I'm letting down my fans ;(**  
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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Battle of Six<strong>

**_Part I: Preparations_**

The period of peace hadn't last long in the world of Trump and as Spades prepare for war against Hearts, a piece of good news was delivered in person by the King of Clubs. He'd agreed to sign the alliance treaty however, the royals quickly learnt that Clubs was splitting into two – a half following their King's rule and a half following the Queen and Jack. After having known that their King had gone to meet up with Royals of Spades privately, both the Queen and Jack tried to overthrow him. The court was disheveled and internal war was breaking out from the two pacts. The duo couldn't stop the conflict and it was disadvantageous to their aid to Hearts.

Apparently, King Ivan had foreseen the situation and had managed to keep his crown and much of the able court officials along with the army forces in their hands. A formidable ally, in Arthur's words, had joined the Alliance camp. Ivan was currently seeking refuge around the borders of Diamonds and Clubs, well protected in his countryside fortress while Elizaveta and Roderich sought refuge in their villa near Hearts. Streets were empty and desolated in the Capital of the Kingdom as the last few peasants left in a hurry.

The only worry Ivan had, was his younger sister. He knew she'd be tough enough to withstand torture but it'd be a matter of time before she finally collapsed. Natashya was a Consul for Clubs and letting her reside in Hearts was a difficult decision for Ivan to make. But he knew, no one else would be a better candidate. His elder sister, Katyusha, had chided him about Natashya's imprisonment and often believed in the words of his dear Queen and Jack. Although she apologized fervently when she realized the truth behind the whole matter, Ivan knew he didn't have the heart to blame her ignorance.

Back in Spades, Arthur could feel his husband badly affected by the war day by day. He was always in a tense form. He couldn't eat, sleep or work properly. During the day, Arthur sees him dazing in meetings, dozing off during meals, busy writing and approving reports, grants and permits. At night, he flips restlessly around on the bed, unable to fall asleep. Arthur was rather annoyed at first but he knew his King was stressed. Arthur did his best to help Alfred fall asleep at night and shares his burden in decision-making while handling his own pressing matters from the military and internal affairs. Days seem to drag on when both of them finally fell ill and succumbed to the insurmountable pressure. Yao was out-of-town to rally up support in different dimensions. Everything fell to the poor Princely Lord and the two sick individuals. Lucky for them, neither side of the war had taken any form of action, at least for now.

It was a nice day today – a little dash of rain and some sunshine. "Ack, we'll go with that for now. You're dismissed." The officials left the room hurriedly to put the plan into action. The weakened Queen let out a few coughs and leaned against the vertical column of bed frame. A pair of hands squeezed his shoulders gently. He breathed out and looked over his shoulders wearily. "Auff, you should lie down now. I'll cah-take your temperature." Both of their eyes were cloudy and lost their usual shine. "38.3 degrees, not to far from mine." The King put away the thermometer and began handing the other a bowl of black soup. Arthur propped himself up into a sitting position and took the bowl. "Thanks. You too, remember to drink yours." In the midst of drinking their medicine, Matthew requested an audience anxiously, telling both of them an urgent meeting had been scheduled between the allied kingdoms on the first battle happening along the Clubsian town of Fogsgate. It was a secluded town, like its name suggests, fog-bound. It was perfect for a base to be set there. The allied soldiers had lost the battle there, fortunately, they retreated with minimal losses.

Matthew released the carrier wyvern. It flew a distance into the air and hovered near the eye-level of the duo. The orb it was holding then began emitting a light. A futuristic hologram-like smokescreen panels popped up in front of the King and Queen. Arthur looked on while Alfred greeted his counterparts. "I'm sure you've heard of what happened in Fogsgate. We need to act fast, aru." The Spades Jack stated in a serious tone.

"Relax Yao, Alfred and Arthur are still ill, are they not? There's only limited things they can do at the moment." Francis retorted in his panel. "Although I do agree, it's a strategic location they've captured."

"They've won over the hearts of the little town, portraying our soldiers as evil minions working for the devil. The townsmen were friendly to our soldiers and they've let their guard down." Ivan explained. "Highfort is next in line."

"The allied navy is situating themselves on Silverock Isle. We're prepared to attack Gloria when needed." The Brit reported to his counterparts. "Yao will get back in time to send our men to help on mainland. Meanwhile, Francis, please help Ivan out."

"Why of course, monsieur."

"I'll be heading over to Wolvesmarsh to join the navy at Silverock." The gentleman cleared his irritable throat.

"Antonio and Vash will be meeting you there at Silverock. It'll be easier on our navy to avoid the dangerous waters near Wolvesmarsh. Deadman's Cove is not named for nothing." The French iterated. Antonio was the best naval officer all of Diamonds have to offer and also a good land officer. Given his skills, he could change a situation and regain the upper hand once disadvantaged. He also earned himself a nickname - the burning passion. It was partly due to his expertise with fire-based magic. The few bad points about his, Arthur had been told, were his overly lenient training routine, laid-back attitude and his love for tomatoes. He nearly lost a battle because the enemy was threatening him with the idea of hurting tomatoes. Rumour or not, he'd like to meet the person himself before being judgmental. Vash, on the other hand, was a master at ranged weaponary and slightly adept at magic spells. He could identify the weapons of the opponent even by smelling and hearing the sounds from a distance, perfect for a sea battle.

"I'll be joining you with reinforcements once Yao arrives. Please make do with Antonio and Vash first." Arthur nodded before it developed into a sneeze.

"5 000 soldiers are stationed at the border of Woodsview. We're ready to defend the Highfort; however, a snowstorm is brewing in the Northern parts of Clubs. It'll come this way as predicted. We'll need supplies more than anything else." Ivan stated with worry.

"The supplies will be sent directly from the Diamonds-Clubs border. You don't have to worry." Francis reassured the fellow King. "The most important thing now is for the both of you to get well. A game of chest cannot start without its pieces in place."

_"Yes indeed... The game can't start without its pieces in the right place at the right time."_ A pair of crimson eyes stared at the scene from afar before sliding into the darkness of the shadows.

"Not to worry. I'm sure we'll be fine soon." Alfred gave everyone a determined smile. "Once things are ready here, I'll join you on mainland." It was decided that the King was to join the land battles, much to his dismay, since magic is highly-prioritised in sea battles. He wouldn't be much help even if he had his way in court. Arthur on the other hand was getting better at summons and elemental spells. He would be a better choice to lead the allied navy.

"That's all there is on today's agenda. Make sure we keep updated on situations." The three other royals nodded and the smoke panels disappeared in a wisp. The carrier wyvern then flew back and rested on Matthew's hands. "I better get ready ack-" The blonde propped himself up on both elbows, attempting to get off the bed. "But you're not well yet!" The youngest of the trio protested. "You are too, now, we need to get those troops moving asap. Wa-!" Alfred tried to save his husband from falling, instead he went with him and tumbled down into a tangled mess. A loud thud was heard as Alfred hit the ground first. "Oww, You can barely walk and you want to lead a navy. Thing is you'd probably end up in the history as the most brainless Queen ever."

Arthur knew it wasn't an insult. Arthur reckoned it was his King's way of showing care and a nicer way of forbidding his Queen in doing reckless things. "A brilliant Queen like you should be written for the glorious accomplishments you've achieved!" Alfred beamed. He was recovering faster than Arthur since he was the one who passed the illness to his husband from sneezing in his face after their weekly 'rituals'. The later wanted to protest but the Princely lord interjected, "Get in bed, both of you. The last thing we need is the two of you extending your stay in bed." Matthew fumed rather comically, Arthur thought, since his gentle personality was in the way.

"I'll rest once I'm done with packing for the trip alright?" Arthur pushed himself off the floor, aided by Alfred. "There're some personal things I wish to bring." Matthew sighed. "I can never have enough authority to make both of you listen, do I? I give up. Do what you want. Just get enough rest before the journey." With that, he left the pair alone.

"What personal things?" The pseudo-American asked out of curiosity.

"Oh nothing you should concern yourself with, love." He answered while stumbling his way to his private chest just beside the dresser. He dug through his personal medicine box and found the pills he'd been looking for.

"What pills are those?" Alfred sneaked up on Arthur, snatching the package from him. "Give that back!" Arthur hollered. "Morning sickness…?" His husband attempted to read the words with a brow quirked high. The elder of the duo grabbed it and stuffed it inside his bag. "Grr, It's nothing. Go pack your own things, damn it." A clearly annoyed expression surfaced on the Queen's face. The King's face was filled with worry and concern as he deduced what he just read.

"Arthur, my love… Are you pregnant?" He blurted as he shakily grabbed both of Arthur's shoulders. Arthur stared at his husband with the most bewildered expression. "W-wh? **Of course not, idiot!** What made you think** that way**? It's the same drug for motion sickness, you dolt!" Arthur exclaimed, all flustered. Somehow a waved of relief washed over Alfred. He was glad Arthur wasn't with a child. Then again, he mentally cursed himself for not thinking logically. Arthur was a guy; he couldn't be with a child. What the hell was he thinking? Ahh, it must have been the cold. "Ahaha, yea you're right. So you have motion sickness? Like how bad is it? Could be days before you reach Wolvesmarsh."

"This package should be able to last me a month or so if my conditions are mild. Though I'm not sure how accurate the physicians are here. I should be fine." He reassured the wheat-head. "I'm not going to die such an inglorious death."

"Oh, right! We'll be splitting up in the war. It'll be at least weeks before we next meet again. You should totally pack some of my clothes, in case you get lonely." The King ended off at a rather suggestive manner though innocently like a passing remark. However, Arthur couldn't help but think otherwise. He was red to the ears, trying to hide his shame of having his head in the gutters. He made noises that weren't human along the way and unfortunately attracted his King's attention. Blue eyes glinted with mischief when he found his English Queen in such a state. "Penny for your thoughts?" He teased. "M-my thoughts aren't just worth a penny!" A quick retort to avoid the question.

"Oh…? But I think I know what's going through inside here." He tapped on the Brit's forehead as he neared. A naughty smile hung on Alfred's face. He closed the gap and snaked his arm around Arthur waist. "Don't be an idiot," Arthur looked away embarrassed. "All I have to do is trust you. I don't have to do anything sexu- I mean-… You know what I mean! I won't let the mark fade and you shouldn't too!" He struggled out of Alfred's hold, stomping off to collapse on the bed. All this _inappropriate_ talk is making his mind hazy. Bed would be good for now. "Good night Alfred." The King climbed back into the bed with his feverish partner and gave a grin. "Good night Artie!" He kissed the side of Arthur's head before tucking himself into bed. Hopefully, the morning tomorrow will be a better one before they both set off for different directions in the war.

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><p><strong>Footnote: Apologise again for the rather short chapter! Hopefully I am free enough to do up the next chapter fast and freaking get into the battle details. Also I think you probably need a map of where is where. So I drew one that's quite rough it's on deviantart under the same name as my penname. I included some details of the place. If you can't find the piece, PM me I'll paste you the link! Remember to PM me if you spot any mistakes! Thank you for reading! :)<strong>


	13. Battle of Six, Part II

_**Numbers of his Life**_

**Story by:** _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Author's note: **Hello, after what seemed like half a year (I think it's around 4 months.) I'm finally back or rather I finally produced something. Well things happened and I'm sorry this was on hiatus for nearly half a year. If you'd like to hear about it, drop me a pm or something. I apologise again for putting it on hiatus with no warning. I didn't want to. For those who were worried if I died or met with an accident, I sincerely apologise and hope this chapter is good enough to compensate you guys. As usual, enjoy!

Thank you for that review, **Randomstrike. **I agree it's short. I'm so sorry ;( This is a little longer. I'll try and get the next chapter up by next month. Thank you for your (all of you) continual support with NohL.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Battle of Six<strong>

**_Part I: Vast Oceans_**

All was well and good in the Land of Water. The Queen set off with his heirloom albeit miraculously on a short ship ride to Wolvesmarsh. The King stayed behind, waiting for his turn to Pax, the capital city of Diamonds. The glorious city started out as a small fishing town hundreds of years ago, gradually becoming a bustling port. Alfred had been to Pax on a few occasions, namely once every four years during the Annual Trump Conference/Meetings. Being there for personal reasons like sneaking out for cure of ultimate boredom or stress relief for a few days made up the other part of the few occasions. It happened rarely though. But when they happen, Matthew and Yao had to find reasons to cover his ass for him.

He loved how the buildings there looked futuristic. Buildings made of brass pipes, running along the sides of buildings, connecting different sectors together. These pipes tunneled air through them releasing gas at different pressures in different areas. All those were to create the right pressures and temperature for wind to sweep across the region in a controlled manner. Geothermal activity was rather high in certain regions where gases rise up from beneath, seemingly limitless in supply. Due to this special property of the Land of Air, most of the transportation in Diamonds are by kite-like vehicles called Ailerons, courtesy of the long line of Jacks' researches.

He remembered Diamond's palace was – in Alfred's words – a freaking floating island prevented from floating off by huge gold-plated chains made from god-knows-what. Their Kingdom was so ridiculous at times that Alfred wouldn't even doubt it if someone told him the chains were made from diamonds just to match the name of the Kingdom. Gold and silver statues littered the place and the shear grandeur of the place is enough to blow you away, be it literally or not. Pax was never too hot or too cold in the naturally air-conditioned environment and Alfred adored the city for that. He loved the feeling of flying ever since Francis invited him once and since summoning a flying beast is nearly impossible for him, Ailerons are the closest he could get to the skies. Navigation in Pax was a pain in the ass for many newcomers and Alfred was always up to the challenge. He really wished this part of Diamonds remained unharmed during the war so that Arthur had a chance of exploring that fantastic place with him.

Veritas of Spades wasn't easy to navigate around either. Most of the buildings are average in height and looked similar to the way Pax was built, however, many were connected underwater. Water ran through most of the streets instead of air, similar to the waterways of Venice. Some smaller cities are partially submerged in water, while others entirely underwater. Both the countryside where the palace is and the city are connected by such waterways. Some waterways follows the contours of different hilltops and plains others seemed to defy gravity. It was a common sight to see waterways vertically up or at the very least diagonal. It was not uncommon to see specialised boats, Agro Navis or so they were called, sailing upside down before flipping the right-way-up at a 3-dimentional turn. Roads where no water flowed were generally used to link up different dimensions and for an alternative route of transport and connectivity.

Such a phenomenon was possible because of the twist in the fabric of time and space across most of Spades. Many believed it was caused by the magic supporting the three royal heirlooms. The twist was rather stable and spanned over 10 different 'dimensions' or rather districts to the common man. There are a total of 10 time zones in Spades alone, independent of that across Trump and that, coupled with the unusual undercurrents in the surrounding ocean, was why other Kingdoms dreaded fighting Spades near or on their mainland. The high humidity and occasional fog were amongst other factors for deterrence.

Alfred was pleased that his ship was docking at Pax, the torturous wait was finally over. If anyone claimed he wasn't excited about getting onto the Ailerons, they'd be lying. Of course, work would have to come first. He called for the messenger wyvern and contacted his Queen to report on his arrival at Pax. Arthur on the other side of the panel looked slightly sickly and green, half-suppressing a vomit and half-conversing with Alfred. Alfred reckoned the motion sickness pills didn't work well and Arthur assured him it was worse than dying. Arthur told him they were heading out to the rendezvous point with the Diamond Navy near Silverock and the waves weren't doing him any justice. In fact, he swore that heaven forbid him to have a single smooth trip and that someone up there was playing a cruel joke on him.

Apparently, Arthur's ship met with a storm just a few hours from departure from Veritas. It threw the crew into choppy waters. They succeeded in braving through the storm but failed to save their Queen from emptying his stomach contents nearly everywhere. They eventually reached Wolvesmarsh where the other ships are stocking supply. Ultimately, they decided to get Arthur on solid ground for a good rest before heading on – much to the dismay of the unwilling party.

At Wolvesmarsh, Arthur met a wolf-man, a wolven shape-shifter who had acquired enough knowledge to shape-shift into a human, and his pack whom welcomed the navy warmly. The wolf-man explained that he was formerly a refugee from Clubs years ago before King Alfred saved him from the wrath of the Queen of Clubs. The gentleman – Arthur was delighted to find him with such great hospitality and manners he called him that – was clad in a fine maroon leather coat made from a Minotaur's rawhide. Maroon-haired Minotaurs are those of a higher class: warriors of their species and having a piece of clothing crafted from such Minotaurs represented his authority and power, at least in the beasts' world. The man introduced himself as Vladimir Constantin and preferred to be addressed as Vlad as the human tongues did not pronounce his full name properly most of the time. Vlad had strawberry blonde hair with a tinge of brown and carmine red eyes. Arthur recalled his encounter vividly.

Wolvesmarsh was a place living to its name, Arthur thought, as packs of wolves surrounded the Queen and part of his knights when they first arrived. There was a long stare-off as either side was waiting for movement. The humans remained tense even after the wolves bowed their heads humbly at the Queen. Their acknowledgement of the reigning human came more as a shock. The packs made way for an alpha-male to come through. Arthur watched intently as the animal morphed into a human.

"Your dearest Majesty, we've been waiting for your arrival." He spoke, bowing respectfully before Arthur.

The Queen stared, unable to respond. Green eyes remained wide as clatter of his knights' armor broke the awkward silence. The man had rusty red eyes and shaggy strawberry blonde hair with a hint of brown, skin to his wolf coat. He looked like a noble of his clan, with a mild maroon trenchcoat. Small portions of his canine fang poked out, making him look just a bit boyish. "Your Majesty?" The wolfman questioned. Arthur regained his composure but his mind was going in all directions. Animals which turn into humans?! "Ahh, we were… Looking forward to meeting you as well." He managed to cook up a politically correct sentence, hoping the other would buy it. "We mean no harm, Queen Arthur. This form is merely to let your people feel at ease with us. Please call me Vlad, and allow me to escort you to where your people are." Clearly, Vladmir sensed the unease in his reply. "We sincerely hope you defeat your enemies. Especially the Queen of Clubs."

A curious tilt of the head signaled a question directed to the last part of his sentence. "The Queen and I, we're not on friendly terms. She probably wants me dead as much as I do for her. Her clan tried wiped mine clean but I managed to escape." He continued, "I owed my life to King Alfred. He allowed me to settle into this island. It's only right of me to treat his Queen with the utmost respect."

A light chat with the wolfman and the wood fairies by his side gave Arthur the creatures' perspective of the war. They were rather enraged by the thought of it. Breaking the delicate harmony between Kingdoms was akin to a devil's act. They cautioned the young man about Jokers in the Land of Voids and how they enjoyed the feeling of despair people had on their faces. They were an odd bunch who used to be humans, hand-picked by the Devil with the sole purpose of entertainment. Glittery butterfly wings flapped rather vigorously as the fairies surrounded the Queen. They were drawn to his magic signature – something which identified his magic from another. From what the fairies exclaimed, Arthur's magic felt like an ever-crashing waterfall flowing through a serene forest. He was flattered by that description and at the same time he couldn't help but agree. He knew he was a lot better in water and earthly wood spells than any other he'd tried. He did nearly burn the study room down when a fire spell went amok or that time he tried to materialize a metallic sword like Alfred in close-combat practice, it went soft and limp like paper. He had his ass kicked by Yao so badly he couldn't move for days.

They covered quite a distance across the marsh and eventually reached the other side of the marsh where the other half of his crew was waiting. It was made into a temporary Spades naval base with the strength of a dozen ships and their crew. Smaller warships docked at every possible spot just off the coast in semi-deep waters. Some larger ones were spotted out at sea. Almost all the men and women in the navy were busy with the loading, checking and repairing duties. A trio came rushing towards Arthur and greeted him. "Your Majesty, we're utmost apologe-"

"It's fine. Better late than never." He dismissed the matter. "How are the preparations? Has Diamonds contacted us?"

"Yes, your Majesty. Admiral Carriedo and Diamond's Jack Zwingli have sent their messages over. Admiral Annan and Commodore Karpusi have gone to meet up with them off of Fairbay." The individual had his hair tied into a neat ponytail with a blue ribbon and tucked right next to his neck. He also had a rather long scar running down one of his deep green eyes. When Arthur first met the Captain, they met on the decks of one of the royal galleons. The latter bowed respectfully with his dark auburn hair falling neatly in motion. "I'm Rafael Eduardo Silva Santos, Captain of this beloved vessel and her crew." The sails flicked open with loud flaps, seemingly adding an effect to the Captain's introduction. His name sounded Portuguese and he did have a slight Portuguese accent which reminded him of his brother's friends who visited over the summer. Arthur swore their names were a lot longer than his Captain's. A freak accident on a practice mission made Arthur's inability to swim known to the Captain. Luckily, no one was hurt and the Portuguese vowed to keep the secret. The two had grown to become great friends as Rafael taught Arthur the basics to swimming and the spells for survival on and in water. Arthur felt relief to gain a confidant and an edge over the fearsome waters.

"Hmm, are we ready to join them, then?"

"Yes, we're ever ready, Your Majesty." The slightly taller figure had a quick reply with no hesitation. "If you please." He gestured. Arthur followed the man and before boarding the ship, he thanked the wolfman of his assistance. Vladmir and his pack bade their farewell before disappearing into the marsh along with the fairies.

"Welcome back on Relíquias, Your Majesty." Honestly, it was still a breath-taking experience for the Englishman. Just how many people get to be on a 15-16th century battleship and be one of the commanders of it, let alone command an entire fleet? The cursive carving of the ship's name right next to its Griffon figurehead spelt out caution to any ship passing by. Relíquias was an ordinary, battle-scarred galleon and was well-maintained for battles. Arthur remembered as he first boarded the decades-old ship, a wave of collective memories of the ship rushed against the Queen. Spirit-like figures ran across the deck in preparation for close-combat, some descended quickly to the gun-decks to help with the cannon loading. Those were the previous crew who sailed with the ship. There were unanimous beliefs that ships had personalities and personified spirits across the four kingdoms. Ships weren't haunted but they chose to show different histories of itself to different people. It was believed that if one was shown such history, he or she would experience something similar and that the ship was trying to warn the person or offer a pinch of the future. Arthur was shown a battle scene of the past voyage. Arthur took it in a way that it meant the ship survived despite the odds and was hopeful that it'd continue to do so in this trip. It was a good omen of some sort he reckoned.

"Captain, we're ready to sail." A sailor shouted from off the sides.

"Aye, heave-away, sails abeam, me be catchin' yer scurvy dogs slackin', yer be sent to Davy Jones' locker by the next dawn." The Captain fanned out his orders in a quick holler off the pirate tongue while Arthur who was still not used to the language, struggled to understand what was going on. He was into pirates and their language but having it right in front of you and hearing it is rather different.

"Aye Cap'n!" A concerted response echoed around the Queen. The Relíquias crew was, one would say, a ghost crew. They never set foot on land until they needed to. They were rarely seen in court or in naval bases which makes contacting them extremely difficult. Though with that said, the late Ace of Spades had his unique way of contacting them. After Spades lost their Ace, they lost the only way of contacting the crew. Many thought they had perished in the wrath of the seas or eaten by the monstrosities out there. Their coincidental return to Veritas had Arthur thanking whatever brought them back.

"Rafael, how long more till we reach our destination?"

"Meeting up with the main forces at Fairbay isles will take at most a day, Your Majesty." His voice seemed to roll off his tongue smoothly. "Assuming nothing bad happens, we'll reach rendezvous point in four days. We tend to meet giants after we reach open waters, they will attack any ships once they're hungry. It doesn't matter which side." Giants were a common collective term used by sailors which refers to anything monstrous of gigantic sizes found in the high seas. Amongst them, the more common ones were multi-headed Hydra and the Kraken. At times, ships would encounter Serpendra – a giant sea serpent with a long narrow snout lined with numerous razor-sharp teeth – and not many lived to tell the tale.

"Good, everything's in order then." Arthur reassured himself.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I'll be contacting them in my cabin. I'll join you in yours for planning some time later." Rafael bowed as Arthur retreated into the lower deck. The lower deck contrary to popular belief was clean, brightly-lit and rather pleasant to be in. Fungus and mold did grow everywhere but they were luminous. The entire place was lit by them. It was a blessing though since they need not use kerosene lamps and reduced the risk of starting a fire on a ship. Another advantage of using these organisms was that they would only give off light when given enough seawater. Many of the sailors thought that it was probably something used by the merpeople as well. The abyss was a place of eerie darkness and many believed it was there where you could cross over to the realm of the dead, akin to the belief involving the Lands of the Void. Tales of creatures like Giants as gatekeepers, guarding the one place the living had to go one day were much in unuttered consensus amongst the world's sailors.

"Welcome back, Arthur." A feminine voice sounded from beside the door as it flung open.

"By god, I swear it's more likely that I die of shock than of a fierce battle, Alice." Arthur thanked god he didn't let out a yelp. It would have drawn unnecessary attention from the crew – half the time thinking they had a stowaway who was an assassin after their Queen. This 'Alice' was a spiritual representation of something Arthur stumbled across at the back of his room. That something was a huge crystalline block akin to a mirror but if one looked close enough, he or she could see a faint outline of a human shape. Arthur's first response was to attempt to break the crystal. After failing a few times, he wheeled his heels, making quick steps out of the room. He didn't manage to get far from the block when he was held back by a hand over his mouth. He was kneed from behind and made to kneel on his right knee. The gloved hand felt smooth and small yet strong enough to subdue the Queen. "You sure are a lot calmer than the ones I've met before." A low pitched whisper seemed to pierce through the silence, though one could hear it was clearly a female. "Aren't you afraid, Your Majesty?" Concerted creeks and crackles from the sailing ship accompanied her words. Perspiration rolled down the sides of Arthur's head as his mind raced through ways to escape. Then, all of a sudden, the grip was gone.

"Your reflexes are a little slow, Your Majesty. I'd train harder if I were you."

Arthur whipped around to face his assailant. The lady had brilliant blue eyes and auburn hair tied into two long ponytails. Her ears were long and pointy at the end. She was rather fair and wore clothes Arthur would refer to old-age pirates wear. A white long-sleeved top was held in place by an external leather corset-like piece that hugged her curvatures. She had a pair of black gloves and shorts on with a pair of old leather boots. A red scarf topped off the whole look. "Name's Alice, Your Majesty. Now quit gawking before I dig your eyes out."

"Wh-o, How-Wait… You…" Arthur struggled to put the right words in a sentence.

"I'm the person you're trying to save. Though you can't really save me." She continued. "I'm the sacrifice for this ship. As years passed, I've become the ship's spirit. My powers protect this ship and I do my best to keep its crew safe. And no I'm not human, I'm an elf. The race who decided that for peace we would do anything. Although I'm a little behind on the current news, I know you humans have decided to wage war again havn't you?" Arthur nodded quietly, currently listening to the slight English accent. The memory he'd seen when he first boarded was her memory after all. "You lot never listen, do you? The peace of Trump cannot be broken! If not the parallel world will crumble with it!"

The Englishman looked at Alice in shock as she trailed off in her one-sided verbal battle. "P-parallel world?" He uttered with his voice a little shaky. "Yes, the parallel world. The world where magic is just tricks for entertainment, where science triumphs over nearly everything. The two worlds take turns to be in chaos and peace, it's like a cycle. Trump has to remain peaceful for that world to be in chaos. If both worlds were to be in chaos at the same time, it'll result in the collapse of both worlds." There was a moment of dead silence. Arthur swallowed audibly, knowing that his world right then might have already slipped into chaos. Right before he left, he heard news about the Asian conflict over islands in the South China Sea. He didn't know what to expect from it and if what the girl said was right, then he should stop this war before it starts. The elven girl broke into a hysterical laughter while staring at his serious face.

"Pwahahaha did you honestly believe that? You're the first person who didn't already call me crazy for saying something like that." She wrapped her arms around her aching stomach from all the laughter.

"You're not crazy! It's real!" Arthur grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her slightly. Immediately, he let go of her, it wasn't a comfortable distance for either of them. "O-oh I'm sorry about that… But that world you just talked about, exists! I-…!" He held back his statement just in time before he blurt out something he wasn't supposed to. Curses for being overly excited about someone who knows the place he was from.

"I..?"

"I… I need that bucket! I'm about to puke!" A brilliant excuse though it was indeed a real one. He was at his upper limit for motion tolerance. He hurled his stomach contents into the bucket Alice gave him. "Urgh, nasty. I'm quite a stable ship, you know? I don't get how you're always seasick." Alice gave a few smoothing pats on Arthur's back. Arthur thought it'd have been nice if he had an elder sister like her. Oh wait, if she ganged up with his three devilish brothers, it'd be disastrous. "I can hear Rafael looking for you."

He heard a distant cry which sounded like his usual address. Arthur thanked Alice for her help and proceeded to exiting his room. "I'll be here, feel free to talk to me." A tiny smile made its way onto her face. To Arthur, it felt eerily scary.

From then on, Alice had made it her personal goal to scare Arthur at least once every day, though she also made it a point to wake Arthur up at the exact same time every day. Arthur was more than thankful for the latter. He had a tendency of oversleeping which resulted in him arriving later than his students would for class usually. Other than that, he was quite a boring lecturer anyway, not many turned up for such an early class.

"We're approaching Fairbay in a day with my current speed and the current wind directions. By then you'll have to work out a plan for sea battle with possibly no way to find out your opponent's army size and strength. Well of course, Rafael can do that for you but you don't want to look useless do you?" An exchange of looks made Alice understand his unease. "Right then. Let's-"

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><p>"Let's assume the worst scenario. Hearts has their entire naval force including part of Clubs' against the Allied navy, thus making us severely outnumbered. What we should do is to quickly gain control of the situation. The gryffins have reported a storm coming in around 6 hours. That's the time where the waters are too choppy for our opponents to move. Air raids wouldn't be possible either. That's the time where they'll think we'll attack regardless of the waters. We will give them our attack. But instead of launching a real one, we launch a false attack with our ships while our divers and their Piscesa launch an underwater attack. The waters should be more stable at 200 metres depth. Make sure the divers have their charms with them. It'll protect them from the pressures and allow them to breathe." Arthur caught his breath and continued. "The fishes should be able to recognize the magic signature of individual ships and head towards that direction with our divers. This attack is to cripple their ships in the storm and let mother nature help us. They'd be too occupied with sail-handling, mending holes and returning fire on us."<p>

"If we attack in the storm, what about Antonio, his specialty is fire; fighting in such a terrain will put him in great disadvantage!" Arthur flinched a little at the sudden heighted voice. It was rare to see Rafael get all worked up. His use of Captain Carriedo's first name gave their friendship away. Rafael and Antonio were said to go way back. When they were kids, their fathers were naval officers and had met regularly during friendship balls between the two Kingdoms. They brought their families along and that's where they met. Arthur did hear a little of Rafael's story – he told Arthur the night before they set off. It was a masquerade ball and they were both 10. It was rather boring for kids and hence they sneaked out into the gardens to play. They laughed and joked all night long ignoring constant cries of servants looking for the two young masters. Of course, they were severely punished, but neither thought it wasn't worth it. "Calm down Rafael, if I can't use fire, I can still use my combat skills. Besides igniting something wet wouldn't be a problem for me. It wouldn't last long but it'll still do some damage." Antonio replied with a gentle smile. He gave Rafael's shoulder a firm grip, acknowledging his dear friend's worries and reassuring him that it'd be fine. "What'd you think, Your Majesty?"

"Hmmm." Francis hummed as he subconsciously stroked his beard. "That sounds like a good plan, at least for now. They'd definitely be on guard since Spades is well-known for naval operations. We've got to be careful of their spell-casters. They're capable of taking out entire fleets on their own."

"They've got ours to look out for." Arthur frowned. "I'm just worried that if any Giants were to appear during the storm, it'd be disastrous." The rest present at the meeting exchanged looks. "Let's hope it stays as just a worry." Francis patted Spades' Queen on his back. "Well, I'd say you've done a great job so far. Alfred must be proud. We'll be heading back to our ships. We'll go according to your plan. Stay in touch, through the wyvern. See you and good luck, mon ami."

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><p><strong>Footnote: No footnote actually. Or maybe I should just clarify on what Piscesa is. It's actually a pair of fish just like in the horoscope Pisces. They have to be together always, if one dies, the other will too. Piscesa have long flowing tails akin to swaying translucent kelp forests. They come in various colours and are born as twins (two separate fishes). Their scales can change colours according to their will. These intelligent fishes have learnt to camouflage very well and are very friendly, thus making them good candidates for training in combat. In trainings, they're paired with a 'diver' who is a highly trained naval soldier able to adapt to underwater conditions well. They must be highly skilled in physical combat. Having magic knowledge is a plus. Charms are little pieces of bamboo with protection spells cast on them to prevent pressure from crushing 'divers' and to allow them to breath underwater. Some charms also allow the same camouflaging abilities so that divers can be in stealth mode in shallow-water operations or for quick escape. Hope that clears up a little. I think you know who Alice is. See you guys in August hopefully :)<br>**


	14. Battle of Six, Part III

_**Numbers of his Life**_

**Story by:** _VeNgEaNcEoFrAiN_

**Disclaimer:** Hidekaz Himaruya owns every personified country as well as this Cardverse AU ideas, I merely exploit his ideas for my own personal uses muahahah! Everything else is purely fictional, any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental – I don't really know if there's a similar story around but this idea just popped up in my head so I decided to write it (all I can say is great minds think alike). Some fundamental ideas like how the pocket watch chooses the royalty in Spades is kept in this story. I would like to credit the person coming up with the idea but I think it'd probably be hard to track who started it. If you think I violated copyright laws, erm, I can take it down if you send me a mail or review.

**Author's note: **Phew, I made it. It's still August. It's gonna get more busy from now on but I'll manage. It's the same year in and out.

To **01blackcat02**: Thank you for your concern, it's really nice of you :) And for the imaginations part, I get some ideas from random googling and put in a bit of my own ideal scenario then try to write them out the way I think of it. Sometimes I fail to capture everything but I'm glad you enjoyed it! To **Jywy**: Hahaha thank you for your review and yes! That's the both of them! I'm glad you liked my description! To **OldNewLife**: Lmao, I think I'll take another year omg ;_; To **PurpleLilacFlowerOfTheMist**: Thank you for the review and welcome on board the NohL 'crew'! I hope I don't disappoint you. Enjoy your time here! And good day/night to you too!

The fight scene might be a little messed-up (I'm not good at writing battle scenes) so I hope you'd forgive me on that and I hope you'd enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Battle of Six<strong>

**_Part III: Mishaps_**

The sun was relentless and the heat unforgiving. Its bright rays reflected off the water's surface, making the sea sparkle like myriads of diamonds – a little cliché description, Arthur thought, though it wasn't far from the truth. The Gryffins couldn't be wrong in predicting the weather but it didn't look like it was going to rain anytime soon. The tense atmosphere lingering around the allied navy became lighter as the day went on. Of course, they kept their guards up in case of sneak attacks. Piscesa scouts have yet to return from their trip, or at least sent a message back. Gryffins and their riders soared through the sky, enjoying the little breeze brushing against their faces. Some of Diamond's Sylphs glided playfully along. It was a nice enough weather to maybe enjoy some tea, Arthur thought. Though the good weather wouldn't last long.

"Sails, ho!"

Arthur nearly dropped his teacup. That shout indicated their lookout has spotted ships, possibly enemy ships. If his men could spot them, the rest of the allied navy would too. "Red flags!"

"It's Hearts! All hands to stay alert, gunners take yer place." Raphael ordered as he took control of the wheel. The Heartian ships were a few good hours away even if they looked really close by. The time-space distortion over the vicinity of Spades made travelling in and out of the distortion sphere delay or quicken by a few hours. One either gain or lose a few hours of the day just by entering or exiting. It was known as a time gap or period lag. The Heartian ships are probably on guard near Spadian waters for any surprise attacks. Attacking them now wouldn't be as wise. Perhaps a wait till nightfall would be a better choice.

"Your Majesty, storm clouds are brewing off Northwest. The Gryffins have returned to their jewel forms. The scouts have confirmed that the King and Jack of Hearts are amidst the ships. Their strength around 20 galleons and 10 frigates. It's not the full strength, Your Majesty." Raphael reported.

"Let Diamonds know. We'll go with what we've planned. As for their reinforcements, make sure we have enough room for escape and retaliate with ours." Arthur instructed. He watched Raphael convey the message with smoke signals instead of using the carrier wyvern to avoid possible infiltrations and interruption of its magic. His gaze then shifted away, looking out towards the Heartian fleet. "This is it."

On board the Heartian ship of Adler von Lübeck, the Heartian King tapped his chin impatiently. They'd expected a sizeable raid party from the Allied navy but the exact opposite was happening. There were no sightings of enemy ships, no signs of an attack this close to the boundaries of the distortion sphere. It was either they were laying in ambush or had yet to arrive. The King knew patience was the key to this game. Knowing how rash and impatient Alfred was, Ludwig reckoned the one in command was his new Queen. It would be tricky to face off against people who knew nearly all your strategies, however, war was a field of the unpredictable, anything could happen. His Jack paced up and down the hull, fidgety altogether.

"We should prepare our beast for when we do not have time to summon it, Ludwig." The usually cheerful voice took a serious turn. His voice trembled a little from fear of an ambush. "If they get to it fi-"

"My dear Feliciano, haste not for it is the Queen we're up against. From our previous encounters, it seems the Queen know very little of this world and the magic. He's still an amateur compared to you." The deep voice rolled off his tongue smoothly. The Italian smiled at his King's kind words, seemingly reassured. "I do agree, however, that we should get our beast summoned." Feliciano licked his lips as it curled into a smirk. "As you command, my King."

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><p>Arthur paced up and down the length of Relíquias' hull. He was hesitant on whether they should attack or lay around for an ambush under the cover of the distortion boundary. If they wait, chances were that scouts from the other side would discover them and have enough time to report back. He could take the chance and use the storm as cover. He could perform a large scale illusion using the extra water from the storm to hide their presence, though fooling an experienced King and a powerful Jack would be rather difficult.<p>

"Relay my message, Rafael. We'll attack once the storm starts pouring. Every ship is to move under the cover of my illusion. Once they're ready, I'll lift the illusion." Rafael nodded quickly and sent a Sylph carrying the message. Francis and Vash agreed on the decision to prevent a stalemate or a possible defeat, they sent an all-clear towards the Spadian fleet. With the calculations done to meet the storm properly, Arthur wasted no time to cast his illusion. "Wish me luck, fellow Queens." He kissed the little pendent remnant of what was the Hand of Time. It was his own miraculous way to carry that giant clock around – by using a little transformation magic and space-time manipulation.

A wall of cascading water started to envelop the entire fleet in a protective bubble as they entered the storm. The Axian fleet lay motionless, unaware of the approaching danger. Perspiration rolled down the Queen's head as he struggled to keep the illusion up. It was rather taxing on him to camouflage the entire fleet. "A-are they done yet?! I can't hold on much longer!"

"A little while more, Your Majesty! Just one more ship!"

"ARGHHHHH. Move that sorry arse for Christ's sake!"

The last ship aligned itself with its enemy, cannons erect and loaded with gunpowder and cannonballs. Everything was in place, well maybe except Arthur's little hat which was blown away from the initial blast of magic. The moment Arthur dispelled the illusion, a huge explosion happened beside Relíquias. A winged monster of gigantic size screeched after crashing into one of the ships, thoroughly destroying it. It had a grey body lined with uniform spikes which looked as sharp as blades. They were as reflective as mirrors and its icy cold eyes stare right into one's soul, freezing them with fear. The distraction allowed Axian sailors to board the Allied ships easily and with less resistance.

Arthur's pupils widened with every passing second as his brain authorized an emergency shut-down. Mixed emotions ran through his entire body as adrenaline coursed through with it. He could hear his own heartbeat right at his ears, he was too afraid to scream.

"Minokawa ho! All hands steady, fire at will! Defend your ships!"

Arthur stood rooted to the ground, unable to pry his eyes off that creature. He stepped backwards with every breath to stablise himself both physically and mentally. He couldn't let fear overwhelm him. Many lives depended on him and to face such a horror right at the start was a wake-up call that war wasn't just a game. He snapped out of his frightened state and sorted his thoughts. He needed a plan urgently.

"Ok think Arthur, think! That huge-ass monster is god damn huge and we're bloody tiny. We need another f**king huge-ass monster to fight it." He paused as he realized what he said. "That's it! Summoning another monster! You're as brilliant as always, Arthur!" He ran down the decks amidst the chaos, looking for his summons book, searching frantically for anything that he could summon in a short while. "Drake, too small. Flying Manticore, too long. Hydra! Perfect!" He rushed back up the decks, chose a suitable spot and performed the summon right there and then. He began chanting the words to the summon, protected by a few sailors who happened to be nearby from enemies. His chanting was about complete when the Minokawa's spiked tail sent a strong gust their way, knocking everyone off balance and sending ships dragging through the water.

A swirling mass began spinning within the circle. Slowly, it developed into a whirlpool, then a maelström. Lightning seemed to strike in random places within the vortex as the magical light became brighter. Arthur looked terrified, disoriented from the spell. He was lost for words. He wasn't sure what he summoned, but he knew being cut off halfway during a summoning ritual had dire results.

The swirling waters gradually calmed to its pre-storm form.

"It's too quiet." Francis pressed his lips into a thin line, concerned about what was happening.

Antonio swung his axe at the enemy's soldiers before taking his place beside his King. "What are they planning? What's going on?" He took a glance at Francis from over his shoulder. He wore an equally concerned face with a frown.

"The question should be: do they even know what they summoned?"

The summoned beast emerged from the seas and bright light from the magic circle, revealing its identity. The sea burst open as the creature broke its surface. A long snout lined with razor-sharp teeth, a long arched neck like that of a snake, bony spines lined its entire visible length. Its smoothly-scaled, serpentine body seemed almost luminous under a few streaks of lightning. Water rushed down its sides and edges as it scanned its surroundings. Everything stilled for those few fleeting moment. Everyone's heads were facing the same direction, eyes on the same thing. Feelings of fear, confusion, and awe all jumbled together amongst the sailors.

"I believe we have our answer, Sire." Vash stared wide-eyed at the creature.

"S-Serpendra…" Raphael's voice broke in shock on board the Spadian vessel.

Large, bony fins flared out in anger as the beast let out a long throaty roar. Its long whale-like tail slapped down against the surface of the choppy waters, sending huge waves crashing into ships in the vicinity. It looked as if it was angry at either the Minokawa for intruding into its territories or at Arthur for summoning it. It seemed to glare in Arthur's direction with its crimson eyes glowing ominously. Arthur couldn't decide what to do. Anyone would be frightened at just the sight of such a creature. His mouth remained agape at the sheer size of the creature. He didn't even realize that he'd swallowed nervously and quite audibly. The raging beast roared again and begun moving towards Relíquias.

"All hands on deck! I repeat, all hands on deck! Hoist those sails if yer don' wanna be shark bait!" Panicked sailors scurried to positions, attempting to hoist the sails for the ship to move even if it were in stormy weather. Raphael would risk anything for the safety of his crew but to do that he must keep Relíquias and Alice in one piece. Enemy sailors jumped off Relíquias in hopes to save their own lives. Arthur was shaken out of the daze by his Portuguese Captain.

"Your Majesty! Pardon my impudence but **WHAT IN DAVY JONES' LOCKER** **did you just summon**?" Rafael's holler barely made it through the loud crashing waves.

"I don't know! It's not-"

"No answers needed, we don't have time for that! **Make it stop** or we'll be fish feed!" Raphael made a mad dash up the stairs to the steering wheel while spewing out commands to his crew. Even though they've braced through many Giants, a fuming Serpendra would be in a league of its own.

Arthur threw another glance at the approaching serpent. He gritted his teeth in frustration. It was supposed to be another creature, a friendlier one to help fight Hearts' beast. Who would've thought things would go terribly wrong. A loud screech echoed the skies as the Minokawa swooped in and attacked it with its blade-like wings, unintentionally buying time for Relíquias to escape. Having both creatures' attention shifted elsewhere brought temporary relief to the entire allied navy. With two gigantic creatures fighting in proximity, unnecessary waves and turbulence damaged and capsized ships from both sides of the war. Upon getting his foothold and after a near capsize of the ship – it must have been Alice's powers protecting them, the sudden disappearance of the Serpent gave the Spades Queen a bad surprise. He wasn't sure if Serpendra was defeated or that it has submerged itself underwater only to reemerge and killed its summoner.

The giant bird flapped its wings and hovered near the surface. It got wary of the waters and scaled to a higher altitude to wait out the serpent's reappearance. The streamlined body of the serpent made gaining speed in the water easy and adding its strong tail muscles, it bolted out of the water, lifting itself airborne. With nearly its full length out of the water, its jaw clamped shut on the bird's wing and allowed gravity to pull both of them down into its domain. Serpendra tilted its head and body, enabling it to fall with Minokawa crashing into the sea first while its sides hit the water. The motion was similar to the combination of breaching and a common hunting technique in the animal world. Tsunami-like waves rippled out from the crash and threw ships off balance.

Arthur was thrown off his foot and he tumbled across the deck. He rolled off the railings on the left side but managed to hold on to a stray rope dangling by the side hence, preventing his fall into the untamed sea below. Two crewmen rushed to his aid, pulling him back on board. Arthur ran up the deck and confronted his captain at the steering wheel while trying to stabilize himself on the rocking ship. The only thing keeping him from vomiting was the adrenaline pumping in his veins.

"**How do I make it stop?!**"

"Use your blood! When the summoner's blood touches the beast's energy source, it'll cease the contract and return the beast to where it belongs!"

"**Where the f**k** is that energy source?!" Arthur snapped at his captain while dodging a flying piece of ship wreckage from a nearby ship. They really couldn't afford the time.

"**I don't know**, Your Majesty! Only **you** can see it!" Raphael hollered once more on top of his voice as he struggled to keep control of the wheel.

Arthur whipped his head around, taking the moment of stability to scan the beast for its energy source. The thrashing beasts, combined with a raging storm, were making everything beyond chaotic. Amidst the chaos, a small twinkle caught Arthur's eye. Arthur scoured the same area again and spotted another twinkle. It was a blue twinkle like that of sapphires right on top of the serpent's head.

"OH FOR F**K'S SAKE!" Arthur cussed out loud. He doubt anyone would hear him over the crashing waves and it didn't matter anyway, this was war, war had far greater priorities than some usage of crude language accusations. Now that he'd located the energy source, getting his blood up there is another problem. In the violent winds, Gryffins could do nothing about it. A dragon would work but its spell was too long. A water Drake might be nimble enough in such weather. He wasted no time and casted his spell, taking advantage of the Serpent's temporary immobility from lodging its rows of teeth into the injured Minokawa's wing and the strangling constriction around it with its snake-like body.

"Come forth, Aquila!"

A serpentine creature materialized within the magic circle. It spread its wings and stood tall on its webbed feet. It looked sternly at Arthur and bowed at recognition. The two-leafed spines on its back flared a little, it seemed happy that it could be of use. Arthur patted it on its spiky head, magically linking himself with the draconian girl. Her scales felt slimy from the contact with the pouring rain. "Aquila, can you bring me to the head of Serpendra?" The creature nodded, bright amber eyes sparkled with pride. "Good girl." Arthur patted it once more before allowing it to take flight. Subsequently, he climbed up the main mast steadily and balanced himself at that height.

"Here goes nothing." He made a mad dash across the sail yard and leapt off the end. He was relieved he didn't slip and fall a terrible death in that mad weather. The winds rushed against his face and made his cape flap wildly. Free falling wasn't a bad feeling when you know there was something to catch you or break your fall. Aquila came round, swooped down and caught the Brit in time. He held on the little Drake for dear life. Intense numbing pains rippled through the parts of his body that landed hard on the Drake's back against its softened spines. He would have to do it again the next time he summons a Drake. Drakes weren't able to take off with loads on their back, instead they were able to carry load two times their weight while they were in the air. No one knew why.

Aquila made it past the blasts of wind from the violent struggles Minokawa was making. There was no bleeding; however, bits and pieces from its wings began to disintegrate the moment they fell off. It felt like the beast was nearing its limit. With a long screech in distress, it exploded into a myriad of specks of light. And admist the light debris Arthur spotted the Jack of Hearts. He hovered around the area on a Hippogriff with far greater wings than any of Spades' Gryffins. Feliciano was staring at him, angrily. He looked like he was about to kill anyone who'd harmed his beloved pet. Aquila weaved through the uneven air currents in attempt to get closer to the single beast present before a bolt of magic flew her way. She lost her balance and frantically tried to ride another air current to climb to a higher altitude – far away from reach of Serpendra. The victory thrash-about Serpendra did was only making the situation worse.

The Hippogriff gave chase and was evenly matched in aerial superiority with the little drake. Arthur held on dearly, the material of his clothes were the only things giving him grip on the drake. He froze a bunch of rain drops and directed them towards Feliciano. He knew it'd only be a distraction but it was all he needed. His aim was clear. Aquila swooped down at high speed towards the Serpent's head, successfully depositing him on the head of the beast and getting away from the Serpent's attack. Arthur grabbed onto one of the horns firmly while the beast chomped onto the pursuer. The Italian leapt away in time and summoned another being to help him stay aerial. The energy source of the beast sparkled brilliantly.

The Spadian Queen hung dangerously off the Giant's head, apparently unnoticed. He struggled to climb up the side of Serpendra's head while its attention was on the little drake and Feliciano's mount. The violent movements as Serpendra tried to follow either one of the flying duo swung Arthur from one side to another. His body hugged the side of the Giant's head a little closer, creeping nearer to the source with every movement. When he was finally there at his destination, he unsheathed his personal dagger and swiped a long cut across his palm. His fingers curled up, responding to the pain registered by his brain. Blood began dripping down the wound and onto the serpent's source. Each droplet made the energy spot burn a little brighter before the light engulfed Arthur's being.

Serpendra let out a loud cry as it was quickly enveloped with a layer of growing crystalline structure. The layers hugged it scale-tight, restricting its movement rapidly and thereby subduing the monster. When the last crystal formed, Arthur heaved a sigh of relief, trying to ease the effects of adrenaline previously. A few bolts of magic flew his direction and it was too late to mutter any counter-spells. He watched agonizingly as his little drake blocked that attack for him. Her form exploded into a cloud of smoke and that returned her to where she came from.

Using the smoke as cover, Feliciano launched a physical attack on Arthur. The latter leapt away in time and rolled down the snout of the crystalised giant to break his landing. The impact rocked the entire structure. Serpendra disintegrated into tiny bits of sparkling dust in seconds, leaving Arthur falling towards the still-raging sea. He tried to keep calm and think of something but his blank mind betrayed him. He struggled frantically as he fell and plunged through the surface with most of his back. The impact caused Arthur to be temporarily paralysed with numbness. The force at which he plunged through brought him deeper down from the surface. Any attempts to resurface were futile.

The young Queen sank quickly into the dark abyss.

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><p><strong>Footnote for animalsmonsters mentioned so far. Skipping Serpendra and Minokawa cause they're already described and Piscesa too, except I have this to add for Piscesa: ****The first shoal of fish were found off the coasts of Spadian Islands. They inhabit the colder regions of the oceans surrounding Spades.**

**Gryffins:**

**A powerful creature with an eagle head and front body and legs, lion body, hind legs and tail. It is usually docile but can be territorial. They are known to attack any strangers whom threaten their young or land. Their nests are usually located in cliff-faces and mountain-side caves. One would have to spend time and sincerely treat the creature with respect before one could gain its trust. Until its trust is gain, one cannot tame it. Their wings are strong enough to withstand strong winds in a storm, however, most are naturally afraid of storms. And because of their 'herd-like' nature, they'll all return to their jewel forms on nights of storms, using a force-field to protect themselves. Gryffins are native to Northern Diamonds and most of Clubs. They were brought along by the first explorers to Spades and have established populations ever since.**

**Hippogryffs:**

**A distant relative to Gryffins. It has an eagle head, a pair of wings and a horse body. They are usually friendly and tamed. They live amongst people in hills and some forests. They prefer to stay near any permanent body of water. They are slightly less agile than Gryffins and prefers the use of magic fields over brute strength. Little is known about the history of Hippogryffs. Some say they're God's gifts to the locals who toiled hard, some say they were formed from a magical fusion of an eagle and a horse by a powerful sorcerer. Hippogryffs are native to most parts of Southern and Eastern Hearts while a few were spotted near the borderlands of Hearts and Clubs.**

**Sylphs:**

**Sylphs are mostly gaseous creatures who resemble the forms of their last master. Most have wings and glide gracefully through the air on windless days. They are social creatures but are often shy to humans. Sylphs are also powerful enchanters, however, they cast spells only to get away. A trained and tamed Sylph can deal great damage to anyone whom its master/summoner wishes. They are native to all of Diamonds and found nowhere else.**

**Drakes:**

**A smaller version of a dragon, often mistaken as the young of dragons. They look like they have immature wings but are strong enough to lift loads of up to 2-3 times their weight. However, their way of lifting things are unconventional - they can only do so if they swoop down to catch their load in air. There are many types of drakes. Drake types correspond to the elements in which the land is associated to. For example, Water drakes are found only on Spades. Drakes are seldom used by humans as they can be aggressive depending on type. Water drakes are likeable and friendly, Wind drakes are agile and quick tempered, Earth drakes are laid-back and relaxed while Fire drakes are aggressive and powerful. Drakes are usually hard to locate as they reside in areas where elemental magic is high. A Fire drake would make itself at home in volcano tops while a Water drake in a deep lake. When one does find one and befriend it, they have a creature who would fight to the death for them.**

**I do not take full credits for these creatures. But I try to make them different and unique to this story. If there're any questions, feel free to leave me a question in review or through private message. I'll get back to you asap. Hope you've enjoyed this chapter and see you guys probably in September. Thank you and have a nice day!**


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